Making Stilton Cheese

Take fifteen gallons of milk, warm from the cow; put twelve pints of sweet cream in a small tub, and pour on it a kettleful of boiling water; stir it till it be well mixed, and then put it into the cheese-tub, with the milk; when it is at 90° Fahrenheit, add the rennet, when it has coagulated, break the curd a little; put a thin cloth over it, and take the whey off through it; when as much has been taken off as will come easily, put the curd into a bag or net, and let it hang till it give over dripping, then cut the curd in pieces, and lay it in as much cold water as will cover it; let it lie an hour, and as the pieces are taken out, strew a little salt upon them, and put them into the vat, first breaking the top a little, to make it join with the next piece; then lay a small weight upon it, so as not to occasion the whey to come off white.

Photo by Caroline Roose on unsplash

It must be turned every three hours the first day, and three times a day for three days, changing the cloth every time it is turned in the vat, and keeping it under a moderate pressure; it is then taken out of the vat, swathed tight till it begin to dry the bandage, which must be changed every twenty-four hours; it ought to be rubbed with a little salt before it is bandaged, and, for a considerable time, wiped and turned every day.

The best season for making this cheese is from July to October.