Boofer...how are you keeping your pot warm for all those hours that you are pressing in the pot? Double boiler system maintaining a steady temp maybe?
Don't think I'll try another cheddar until I figure out a way to do that effectively & efficiently. During the first traditional cheddar attempt, I had to put heating pad under the s/s whey draining plate the morning after pressing just to get the ends knitted well, and still the sides had slightly weaker knit toward the center anyway. Applied the heat for about an hour on each end. It worked well enough for appearance sake, but I just hope the process didn't compromise the cheese in any way.
Do you see any problem with doing the horseradish addition to a farmhouse cheddar (I have better success with those :-)?!