Producing a unique product

The calico bound cheese are stored in on-farm maturing rooms until they are carefully selected for distribution. Appleby’s produce Appleby’s Cheshire, Appleby’s Smoked and Appleby’s Double Gloucester.

• The milk arrives at the cheese dairy by 7a.m
• A mixture of morning and evening milk is used
• A low percentage of starter culture is added
• The colouring (annatto) is added and stirred in for coloured cheese
• Rennet is added
• Cheese is cut and stirred and whey is drained off
• It is cut by hand into blocks and the blocks are turned
• Finally when the cheese has reached the correct acidity, salt is added
• Curd is put through the curd mill and then into calico lined moulds
• The filled moulds are moved to the press room
• After resting, moulds are topped up with spare curd
• Cheese are then put into the old fashioned screw presses (made locally at the turn of the century)
• Pressure is added
• At end of the day full pressure is added
• The next day the cheese are taken out of the presses and turned
• Cheese are then returned to the presses in clean calico for a further 2 hours
• Cheese are removed from the presses, the edges are trimmed and sealed with an iron
• Then the cheese are bound in calico with an edible paste called Blanose