Cheese facts from The Cheese Yard in Knutsford
With over 100 delicious cheeses in stock and a passion that is second to none, you can trust The Cheese Yard to help with facts, information and advice when it comes to all things cheese! Take a look at some of our cheese facts below and get to know your favourite flavour. You can buy your favourite cheeses at our local shop in Knutsford or shop online today for delivery anywhere in the UK. Free delivery on orders over £50!
From making to conserving cheese
You can make any of the hundreds of cheese varieties throughout the world using milk. A cheese can be made from cow, ewe, goat's and even buffalo cow's milk, or a mixture of several of these. Each cheese "contains" milk that comes from specific animal breeds, especially when it comes to PDO cheeses that follow strict specifications.
The main breeds
Each cheese is made from the milk of one or more animal breeds. The main ones are:
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Cattle breed: French Holstein-Friesian, Montbéliarde, Abondance, Normande, Aubrac, Red Pied, Salers, French Simmental
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Goat breed: Alpine, Saanen
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Ovine breed: Lacaune Each breed differs in size, coat, shape, capacity to adapt to climate and relief of the region of origin. Maintaining this diversity is a key factor to guarantee the biodiversity and richness of our dairy products.
Raw milk cheese
Cheeses made from raw milk are specialities produced using milk that has not been subject to a strong heating process. The milk that is still warm after being drawn from the cows, cools during the dairy production to be transferred away from the farm, then reheated to cow temperature (max. 40°C) before being used in the cheese making. When maintained at this temperature the original and natural flora is fully preserved, as opposed to pasteurization, thermization or microfiltration. Raw milk cheeses differ from cheeses having been subjected to a heating process because they offer, above all else, a unique and characteristic flavour. This develops in different ways and reveals subtle nuances that vary according to the season, the milk quality and ripening conditions. Raw milk cheeses are generally hand produced according to traditional methods. This process takes place every day, even on Sunday and during holidays given that the milk cannot be stored. The produce is much more sensitive, so it is processed by qualified personnel and requires a great deal more care
Raw milk cheese provide more nutritional value
1. Because the milk's natural flora is fully preserved.
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Vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, etc.)
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Lactic acid bacterium (essential for acidification and maturation)
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Natural yeast and noble mould
2. Because the milk is of better quality.
The animal are traditionally sheltered and fed. The farmers rely on breeds that are perfectly suited to their climate. Their milk is habitually then of better bacteriological and physiochemical quality.
3. Because quality controls are more stringent.
The quality controls to which the raw milk cheeses are subjected to are stricter and done more often. The same applies to farm inspection. The milk is analysed each day before being used in production.
4. Because the milk is collected more frequently.
The milk used in the production of raw milk cheese is collected and brought to the farm every day. In certain regions, the milk intended for the cheese dairy is drawn twice daily, in the morning and the evening (in comparison, the milk is only collected every two to three days for the production of pasteurized cheeses).