i73 



THE MANUFACTURE OF CHEDDAR CHEESE. 



The conditions essential to the manufacture of Cheddar 

 cheese of high quality form the subject of some interesting 

 remarks in a report prepared for the Board of Agri- 

 culture by "Sir. F. J. Lloyd, F.C.S., F.I.C., on the results of 

 the investigations carried out by him during the past eight 

 years in connection with the cheese schools of the Bath and 

 West and Southern Counties Society. It appears that the 

 methods of making Cheddar cheese differ in almost every 

 locality in which it is made, but although the processes 

 followed may present considerable differences, the final 

 results obtained are practically identical to the extent that 

 the article produced is Cheddar cheese or cheese of the 

 Cheddar type. In certain points, however, the character of 

 the cheese made varies according to the system of manu- 

 facture adopted, particularly with respect to the duration of 

 the process of ripening*, and to the texture and consistency of 

 the finished product. Thus, formerly a Cheddar cheese was 

 not considered fit for consumption until it had been kept for 

 twelve months, but now a rapidly-ripening cheese will be 

 ready for market three months after it is made, while six 

 months is a more common period. Hence the extreme 

 methods have become known as 44 rapid" and 44 slow " 

 ripening systems. Again, some methods offer greater 

 facilities than others for the production of an article of 

 uniform texture ; and by some processes there is a tendency 

 for the cheese to be hard, while by others a softer and 



