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So here it is, my very first cheese!

Not too bad considering I made some definite errors.  It is edible at least, even if it is not particularly interesting or at all cheddar like!

When I cut it open there was a fair bit of whey which leaked out.  I'm fairly sure this was due to a mistake I made when eating the curds (I heated them much too fast). 

Would this also affect the texture?  The texture is kind of spongy a bit like a feta.  Or would the texture normally become more cheddar like during the aging process?  (I opened this after 6 weeks).

I'm thinking of trying a Caerphilly next, so I can practice on something that doesn't need the long aging time.  Can anyone point me in the direction of a good recipe for Caerphilly or something similar?

Thanks for any help, I'm already learning lots from this forum!

Jessie

Your cheddar looks very young, but very well done indeed! Six months instead of six weeks of affinage would have done it justice. After you eat a few more of your wheels, you'll gain patience.

I just did my first Caerphilly this past weekend. I did a search of the forum and pieced together a recipe for ingredients I had on hand. It came out of the brine yesterday and is air-drying now. I used MA4001 and Aroma B, but there are recipes on the site that call for Flora Danica alone, and a few others if I recall.

A cheese for your first cheese. Well done!

We'll done I would of aged it for abit longer so about 2 months to 4 years depends how long you can wait but anyway great start a cheese to you sir

Well I opened after 6 weeks knowing that I'd made an error on the curd heating, so didn't expect much.

Maybe I should rewax half and age for longer?  does anyone know if this will work, or will it just continue to weep whey inside the wax, and if so, is this likely to cause problems during a longer aging period?

thanks

Yes , re wax both halves if you like and age them longer , it will give you more insight into how the aging process improves a cheese.

And a cheese to you for that cheese !