Colwick Cheese How?

[Badger Bob]

Hi Folks

We used to make Colwick Cheese at school (in the 70s) and I have recently been pining for some again. The problem is that I can't remember exactly how it is made, I remember that full-fat milk was poured into a ceramic jug and lemon juice and salt came into it somewhere but apart from that I'm not sure.

Does anyone still make it? is it a bad idea these days?

[Shirley]

We've made it like that (though didn't know that name for it) - we warmed the milk to a certain temperature and then added the lemon juice. It was tasty.

We used goats milk but I imagine full fat milk would work too. I'll see if I can find my book with the instructions in it.

[Shirley]

Just found this

http://www.cheese4you.co.uk/media/colwick.htm

Colwick Cheese



The village of Colwick in Nottinghamshire was one of the haunts of Robin Hood, so we are told. Among their claims to fame is the cheese that was made everywhere in the country by poor people.

Today we think that off milk is bad, but actually it is only acidic. If you let a pint of milk go off then the acidity will increase until the curds form. Pour this into a muslin bag and it will drain.

You will need:

Milk, as much as you want!

Instructions :

Keep the milk at room temperature for a week. Milk straight from the cow will take only a couple of days.

Pour the curds into a muslin bag and allow them to drain. By tying onto the washing line.

If you do not like the smell then wash the curds in gently running water.

If you like soft cheese then use as it comes out of the bag, otherwise give it a squeeze to make harder cheese.

You can salt the cheese to 1% by weight to make a savour cheese or you can add a tablespoon of sugar for a sweet cheese.

Traditionally Colwick cheese was served with a dished centre into which was placed all kinds of flavouring, strawberries and other soft fruit, apples, pears etc. Or it could contain onion, garlic (or Ransomes originally) pieces of bread. It was also combined with cream in the hollowed out dish and people would spoon the two together.

[Green Aura]

This might help

http://www.cheese4you.co.uk/media/colwick.htm

I'm guessing you used lemon juice to instantly curd rather than waiting for nature. Sounds good though, may have a go!

[Badger Bob]

Cheers Shirley, you are a star - I was googling for an hour and all I found was books, your Google-Fu is strong

Same goes for you Green Aura!

This time next week I should have lovely Colwick Cheese with blackberries...

[Penny Lane]

This is great!

The idea of curdled milk does turn my stomach somewhat but I'm sure it'll come out lovely!

[frozenthunderbolt]

Is this different to "cottage cheese" then? I have never heard it before - i suspect it is a quintessentially British thing, am i right?

[Big Al]

We've made it like that (though didn't know that name for it) - we warmed the milk to a certain temperature and then added the lemon juice. It was tasty.

We used goats milk but I imagine full fat milk would work too. I'll see if I can find my book with the instructions in it.

I got 4 pints of full fat milk and put in the juice of one lemon. gave it a shake and left it on the bench. A couple of hours later I tried to smell the lemon in the bottle but couldn't so poured some in a glass to taste... urgh... it wasn't full cream milk that's for sure so something is happening,lol...

I've also left some soya milk on the bench that was about to be chucked as it was sell by date so see what happens to that.

[Badger Bob]

Is this different to "cottage cheese" then? I have never heard it before - i suspect it is a quintessentially British thing, am i right?

It is native to the Colwick area of Nottinghamshire (which is close to where I live) where the locals used to make their own soft cheese weekly but the practice died out long ago. My school was at the start of the local milk run so in summer the milk had been sitting in the sun for up to three hours before being taken into a hot classroom and sitting for a further two. This made almost all the milk sour so the teachers collected it all together and made a big pot of colwick cheese for a friday treat, sometimes salted and sometimes with a little sugar or honey.

The cheese is more like a rough cream cheese than cottage cheese although a lot depends on how you treat the curds (I found a random granny to help me at the weekend) and if you drain the cheese well, salt it and pack it hard you can get something approaching Caerphilly in texture, otherwise it is a little like a harder cottage cheese consistency. My jug of milk is separating well but I am having trouble keeping the cat away from it at the moment.

P.S. My random granny mentor, Mrs Badcrumble says that the milk has to be fresh (pasteurised, silvertop as used to be) not that UHT carton rubbish.

[Loobyloo]

P.S. My random granny mentor, Mrs Badcrumble says that the milk has to be fresh (pasteurised, silvertop as used to be) not that UHT carton rubbish.

Does she teach you clarinet as well?

[Big Al]

Is this different to "cottage cheese" then? I have never heard it before - i suspect it is a quintessentially British thing, am i right?

It is native to the Colwick area of Nottinghamshire (which is close to where I live) where the locals used to make their own soft cheese weekly but the practice died out long ago. My school was at the start of the local milk run so in summer the milk had been sitting in the sun for up to three hours before being taken into a hot classroom and sitting for a further two. This made almost all the milk sour so the teachers collected it all together and made a big pot of colwick cheese for a friday treat, sometimes salted and sometimes with a little sugar or honey.

The cheese is more like a rough cream cheese than cottage cheese although a lot depends on how you treat the curds (I found a random granny to help me at the weekend) and if you drain the cheese well, salt it and pack it hard you can get something approaching Caerphilly in texture, otherwise it is a little like a harder cottage cheese consistency. My jug of milk is separating well but I am having trouble keeping the cat away from it at the moment.

P.S. My random granny mentor, Mrs Badcrumble says that the milk has to be fresh (pasteurised, silvertop as used to be) not that UHT carton rubbish.

How long does it take to seperate and do you give it a shake to quicken up the process ?? I ask as i have had some on since Friday and gave it a shake each day but only top 1/2 " seems to be seperating.

[Badger Bob]

Sorry Al, been away from the PC for a bit. My cheese took about four days to separate and I put a squirt of fresh lemon juice in there to make absolutely sure. After being hung on the washing line in a clean white handkerchief for a couple of hours, pressed hard to remove the water, seasoned and packed into a dish it was absolutely delicious. I'm going to add fried nettles and garlic to the next one.

[Big Al]

Sorry Al, been away from the PC for a bit. My cheese took about four days to separate and I put a squirt of fresh lemon juice in there to make absolutely sure. After being hung on the washing line in a clean white handkerchief for a couple of hours, pressed hard to remove the water, seasoned and packed into a dish it was absolutely delicious. I'm going to add fried nettles and garlic to the next one.

Tis ok badger bob. I forgot about it until I went in the kitchen this morning and gawd what an almighty stink. Mine has taken 12 days up to today so at this time it is in a muslim cloth and in a bowl, with another bowl on top and a turine of water ontop of that pressing like we used to do cow tounge years back.

Still mings though....

[ocailleagh]

Oooh....I'm totally going to try this, I've been on a home-dairying kick for weeks :-) I've been making yoghurt by the flaskful, and turning much of that into a soft cheese (basically in the same way, pinch of salt, bit of lemon juice, and whatever herbs and such that I fancy at the time, poured into muslin or cheesecloth and left to drain in a sieve on a jug overnight)
Does anyone have any other simple cheese recipes? I have a little vegetarian rennet too, but have been too scared to attempt anything with it...any tips?

[Green Aura]

I've made halloumi - it's really easy to make but tracking down sheep's milk is the problem. I presume it works with cow's milk though.

Anyway warm milk, add rennet (I can't remember the amount but I think it says on the bottle) and keep warming and stirring while it turns to curds. Lift out the curds add a little salt and form into round, flat cakes, press to get out any more whey.

Bring the whey in the pan up to boiling point and put the cheeses back in and cook for about 5-10 mins - it goes a bit rubbery. While still warm put a whole mint leaf on one half of each cake of cheese and fold it over like a pasty. Store in the fridge wrapped in foil.

Slices and cooks well.