Newbie in Bristol! Please help, sourcing equipment

[mrtom]

Hi everyone. I live in Bristol UK and i'm desperately trying to find a cheesemaking equipment supplier who's doors are open to the public. I've scoured the internet and there are plenty of on line suppliers, but i'd like to visit and take my time looking/talking to the owners for advice. Sorry, i should have said at the start that i'm new to cheese making so need all the help/advice that i can get! I want to start with basic cheese such as mozerella, but aged fresh is my love! I'm not afraid of travelling further afield (with in reason). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I need to start from scratch. Rennet, cultures etc.

Thanks
Tom

[Cheese Head]

Hello Tom, sorry for late reply, welcome to the forum! The hobby side of the business so most stores are online. Our listing of supply stores is here, you could try phoning some of them to see if they have physical stores.

If that doesn't work for you then Search and read a bunch of the info here and the Wiki Articles, and if you still have questions then ask away!

[psearle]

Hi Tom

I've only just seen your post hence the late reply; I live about 20 miles south of Bristol and have been making cheese a couple of years now.

I'm afraid I don't know of any suppliers that you can actually visit; buying cheese equipment and supplies seems to be very much an on-line exercise.  What I can tell you is where I get my stuff from (this has changed over time depending on quality and service received).

For cheese moulds (i.e. the things you form the cheeses in, not the cultures) I've found the best place to be Goat Nutrition Limited (www.gnltd.co.uk); they also sell on ebay under the name Bruce Dolby; they are also a good place to buy rennet. 

I gave up buying cultures in this country as the selection was very limited and the prices high.  All my cultures I now get from www.thecheesemaker.com in the US; I pick what I want, email the proprietor Steve Shapley with the list and ask what postage is due; it's normally nothing or very little.

Hope this is of some help

Pete

[crazycacti]

Been thinking about getting my cultures from the US from that site too - to see someone else doing it from the UK, well you've just made my mind up

I think we are a bit stuffed over here for choice of cultures etc... compared to the guys in the US, bit of a shame. But meh, now i've seen someone else buying from the US it opens up my cheesemaking to a lot more cultures and additions