Cheese Production

Milking - The pedigree cows are milked twice a day.

The morning milk is pumped over to the vat in the cheese room, where it is pasteurised.

Adding the Starter and Rennet - The Starter culture is added to begin flavour and acid development in the milk; once the milk has ripened for the correct time vegetarian rennet is added which makes the milk set and form a coagulant.

Cutting the curd - The set milk is cut using cheese knives to separate the curd from the whey.

Draining the Whey - The curds are then gently scalded to help further extract whey and encourage correct texture development, at the proper time the whey is drained off.

Cut and Channel - A channel is cut into the curd to allow the whey to run off easily.

Cheddaring - Although Bertelin do not currently make a Cheddar cheese, we use the Cheddaring process in our cheese production.
Cheddaring involves cutting the curd into manageable blocks and stacking them to release more whey. This also helps the curd achieve the correct texture.

Milling and Salting - The curd is milled for an even consistency and salt is added to encourage whey drainage and flavour development.
This is also the point at which chives are added for our 'Derby with Chives'

Filling the moulds and Pressing- The moulds are lined with traditional muslin cheese cloths (this helps them develop their unique rind). The moulds are packed with curds and are pressed overnight to release whey and create the correct texture in the cheese.

Dressing the cheese - The cheeses are removed from the press and rubbed with vegetable oil, which helps to create the distinctive rind.

Maturation - The cheeses then spend between 5 and 7 months being carefully looked after on the farm in special temperature and humidity controlled units.
As the cheese ages the flavours that make our cheese special develop and mature - until they meet with our discernable team’s approval!