CHEESE. 89 



put in the curd, but the cheeses, after two or three days' 

 pressing, are placed in brine for a week, in which they float, 

 going in soft at first and coming out hardened. They are 

 taken thence to the cheese-room, and turned daily till sold. 



Stilton Cheese is made chiefly in Leicestershire, from 

 the whole milk of the morning to which more or less (often 

 none) of the cream of the evening's meal has been added. 

 The following is a recipe : 



The utensils required in its manufacture are the same 

 as those in ordinary use, excepting the cheese-vat, which 

 in this case is a tin-plate cylinder, 10 inches high, and 

 25 inches round it, without top or bottom, having the 

 sides pierced with holes to let out the whey. The rennet 

 is made in the same way as usual. About 9 gallons of 

 new milk, and, if to be very rich, the cream off 2 or 3 gallons 

 of milk (the cream to be warmed before being put to the 

 milk), are used in the manufacture of one cheese. If suffi- 

 cient new milk cannot be obtained, the night's "milk and 

 cream are to be used with the morning's milk, as well as 

 the extra cream. The rennet is to be put in when it is of 

 the natural temperature of new milk. When it has become 

 curd, it is not broken as in Gloucestershire and elsewhere, 

 but a canvas strainer is laid in a cheese-basket, and the 

 curd put into it, breaking it as little as possible ; the cross 

 corners are drawn together, and it remains in this way 

 some hours, until sufficiently firm to slice. It is laid in 

 the vat in slices, a layer of curd and a sprinkling of salt 

 alternately ; this is continued until the vat is full, then a 

 flat square piece of board is placed at the top of the vat, 

 one having been previously laid at the bottom ; and placing 

 one hand at the top, and the other underneath, the cheese 



