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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from England, county of Staffordshire

Staffordshire Cheese

Staffordshire Cheese is a cloth-bound English territorial cheese made from Staffordshire milk and cream. The pasteurised milk is soured with a mesophilic culture, set with rennet, and the curd is broken several times as its acid rises, then milled with salt and pressed in muslin. It is mild after two to four weeks and can be matured for up to a year. Made in 10 steps over 14 days – 12 months. The longest step, mature on shelves, takes 14 days – 12 months (European Commission 2006) and runs at 7–10 °C (European Commission 2006). Salt is 2.5 % (European Commission 2006). Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and subsp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis biovar diacetylactis, added for flavour do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step14 days – 12 monthsSet[staff-spec2006]Mature on shelves
Temperature7–10 °CSet[staff-spec2006]Mature on shelves
Salt2.5 %Set[staff-spec2006]Mill and salt
Fully documentedCheese14 days – 12 monthsPDO (EU, 2007; UK scheme from 2021)Family: Cheddared cheese family (Cheddar as template)More cheddared cheesesMore from United Kingdom

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification gives the dairy's method and doses as percentages, not a full batch. Each cheese is a cloth-bound cylinder of 8–10 kg.
Raw cow milk from Staffordshire farms · Held overnight at 0–5 °C[staff-spec2006]
Staffordshire cream · Stirred into the milk for 15 minutes before pasteurising[staff-spec2006]
0.2–0.4 %Mixed mesophilic starter culture · Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, subsp. lactis and biovar diacetylactis[staff-spec2006]
Rennet[staff-spec2006]
2.5 %Salt · Added to the curd at milling[staff-spec2006]
Startermixed mesophilic Lactococcus culture (subsp. cremoris, lactis and biovar diacetylactis)

Total time across the recorded steps: 14 days – 12 months

Start
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0–5 °C

What changes: Starting material: raw milk from Staffordshire farms, held cold overnight

Step 1 of 10
Hold the milk overnight
Time
Not documented
Temperature
0–5 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactococcus lactis

Milk and cream come only from farms in the county; in 2006 they came from seven farms near the dairy.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

It belongs with the cheddared cheeses, but its acid-building step is short. The drained curd is broken by hand every 15 minutes for 45 minutes, then milled, and the salted curd is turned only four times so it stays moist. Cream from the same county is added, and the cheese is sold cloth-bound.

Milk
Staffordshire cow milk with Staffordshire cream, pasteurised
Ripening
Mild at 2–4 weeks; up to 12 months
Rind
Cloth-bound
Size
Cylinder of 8–10 kg
Composition
Fat 30–35 %; fat in dry matter 48–51 %

Related ferments

Safety

The milk and cream are pasteurised at 72–75.5 °C for 15–20 seconds before cheesemaking.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The specification links the cheese to Cistercian monks who settled at Leek in the 13th century and made cheese among their crafts. It was made until the Second World War, when central milk collection by the Milk Marketing Board ended many regional cheeses. An artisan maker revived it with local farmers, and it was registered as a PDO in 2007.

  1. [staff-spec2006] European Commission 2006, Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006, 'Staffordshire Cheese' EC No UK/0354/26.7.2004, Official Journal C 148, 24.6.2006, pp. 12–14spec
  2. [govuk-register] GOV.UK, Protected food and drink names register, Staffordshire Cheese (PDO; EU registration 18 September 2007; UK scheme 31 December 2020)gov