Derbyshire

[DavidStaffs]

This is my first post after stalking the forum for almost 2 months and 15 cheese makes...

My gran's ashes are sprinkled between two English counties (Staffordshire and Derbyshire) at a wonderful spot known as Dovedale by the River Dove. I remember the place well as a visiting 15-year-old, and have been back numerous times. One time I drove from Malvern past it as a major snow storm threatened and the last time I travelled from Lincolnshire via train to Newcastle-under-Lyme and saw a covering of white snow across the midlands... My fantasy trilogy (I'm a writer by day) is based on the nearby town of Ilam near Dovedale... and I go there whenever I get the opportunity. So I'm please with my Dovedale Cheese... a hard Staffordshire (but blue  / brine dipped) and it is doing well. It's got another three weeks to age before it hits the 2 month minimum, but it needs a brush and a vinegar-brine wash. Before and after photos...

The make was as per the Staffordshire, (Jeff Hamm's make) (local Australian Barossa Valley non-homogenized jersey milk with MM100) with the exception of the adding of blue PC to the make, and punctured holes, and I brined it rather than rubbing salt over it.  So it might be a tiny bit unique?  It's got a few more weeks to go, but it smells blue-divine.  I may well cut a quarter...but can I wax a hard blue? Not sure...

[DavidStaffs]

Fresh from the mould at 1.9KG

[JeffHamm]

A cheese to you for a wonderful looking Blue Staffordshire.  It looks to be coming along very nicely.  The blue mould needs air to grow properly, so don't wax it.  I would just cut into it and see how it is.  If it needs more time, make another!   I would think it will be about right though.

- Jeff

[Stinky]

What is "blue PC"?

[DavidStaffs]

Blue PC ... my bad, it's not blue penicillin, I should have said I used a dash (1/8th tsp) Penicillin roqueforti started in a 1/2 cup of warmed milk.  I used 10L jersey (*3.3g protein and 4.8 g of fat / 100 ml) and 100ml jersey cream.  Reading the recipe again, I see it says age 2-4 weeks, so I suppose at 6 weeks of age it is ready to be consumed.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Welcome to the forum, David. There are plenty of Aussies here as you may have noticed but its nice to see a fellow Croweater.
The Dovedale looks great and worthy of another cheese. I'll look forward to hearing how it turns out.

[DavidStaffs]

Thanks Andrew... any day now I'll open it up

[OzzieCheese]

Insert evil laugh    another and yet another soon .... the world !!   Oh sorry getting carried away again.  Welcome to the forum and look forward to see so more of your cheese - and your book BTW .   My Mum and Dad live in Malvern - I've never seen it in person -but, would love to one day roam those hills..

-- Mal

[DavidStaffs]

Mal, Malvern is a beautiful place, I hope you go there one day.  As to the book... it's sitting with publishers at the moment so I might now how it goes in about a month.

Here is the cheese, cut today.  It tasted creamy and with a good knit.  A light overtone of mild blue, so I was impressed.

[OzzieCheese]

Oh yeah !!!   Well done - looks great.  If the Dollar wasn't so much in the toilet I would love to see the 'Old Country' once more.  It's very expensive at the moment..

-- Mal

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Nice looking cheese and sounds good too. Well done.