A beginner's guide to making Cathedral City Mature Cheddar

Step 5: Stir

Increase the temp of the vat to 40°C for one hour and continue to stir! Not too hot though or you'll ruin it!

Step 6: Pitch & drain

Stop stirring and push the curd up into a pile about 1/3 inside the cheese pan and pull the plug out, allowing the whey to slowly drain away.

Step 7: Cheddaring

This is where Cheddar gets its name from, cut the curd up into 9inch blocks and turn them over (flip them carefully). Wait for 10 minutes or so. Then turn the curd blocks again, this time pile them two high (repeat this action twice). Wait another 10 minutes or so, then turn them over again but this time pile them four high (again do this twice). Finally, after another 10-15 mins, stack them into one pile and leave for 15 minutes. The whole process should take about an hour and the texture of the curd should resemble a chicken breast!