Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company - Cheddar, Somerset
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SMacB
N 51° 16.830 W 002° 46.339
30U E 515880 N 5681042
The family owned Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company is an independent small artisan cheddar cheese maker, the only producers of cheddar within the Village of Cheddar, Somerset - the birthplace of cheddar cheese.
Waymark Code: WMWJE6
Location: South West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/11/2017
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"There are many stories (some more believable than others) about how cheddar cheese originally came into being, but some facts are not in doubt. The land around the village of Cheddar has been at the centre of England's dairy industry since at least the 15th Century, with the earliest references to cheddar cheese dating from 1170.
With the absence of refrigeration or adequate transport the problem of what to do with surplus milk was solved by turning it into cheese. Cheesemakers discovered that if you pressed the fresh curd to squeeze out the moisture, the cheese lasted much longer. This method of cheesemaking along with other refinements was perfected in the Cheddar area and so the first authentic Cheddar Cheese was born.
Today
A truly authentic Cheddar Cheese should be:
Made from unpasteurised milk taken from cows grazing in the lush pastures surrounding Cheddar. The pastures influence the milk and the milk determines many of the key characteristics of the cheese.
Made and cheddared by hand using the cheesemaker's skill and experience rather than a mechanised process
Matured in cloth for up to 20 months to produce a rind and, more importantly, to allow the gradual change in texture of the cheese to take its effect on flavour development. This happens differently in vacuum packed matured cheese.
Here at the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company, we continue to make cheese in this way and are alone in keeping the traditional art of Cheddar making alive in the heart of the village of Cheddar. Our cheese has won many prizes including awards at the British Cheese Awards and the Royal Bath and West Show."
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"We have a small Visitor Centre in Cheddar where you can watch us make, mature and pack our cheese. Child friendly, with lots of information and illustrations on the walls, we run a 20 minute long film which summarises the daily make process should you prefer not to stay for the 7 hours real time experience!
The admission charge per adult to the cheese making area is £2.00, which includes two children (under 16) for free."
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How the cheese is made - (
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