I’m sure you’ve heard the term artisanal cheese thrown around quite a bit. But have you ever wondered what the term actually means? Read on to learn about artisanal cheese. And find out what the typical day for a farmhouse artisanal cheesemaker looks like.
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What is artisanal cheese?
In simple terms, artisanal cheese is cheese that is not mass produced on a large commercial scale. Indeed, this type of cheese is most often made in small batches. And the cheesemaker gives it plenty of care and attention during production and maturation.
In most cases, artisanal cheesemakers work on farms (farmhouse cheese) or in a small dairy facility. And they don’t use any artificial ingredients, additives or preservatives when crafting their cheese.
Meet artisanal cheesemakers, Ben & Bernie
In order to appreciate the value of artisanal cheese, one has to understand the work that goes into crafting it. While Ben & Bernie are fictional characters I’ve created for this post, their stories are very much real. In fact, they are inspired by a real life couple who make farmhouse cheese.
So, let’s learn about their life. Ben & Bernie own a small farm in regional Victoria, 3 hours drive from Melbourne. They live on the farm, tend to their small herd of sheep and operate a small dairy to make cheese from the milk of their ewes. This is what their typical day looks like.
4 am: Bring the ewes into their milking shed
It’s an early start for Ben & Bernie. They are both up at 4 am before the break of dawn. Ben goes out to their pastures to bring their ewes into their milking shed and starts the morning milking.
Meanwhile, Bernie enters their cheese maturation rooms to check on the batch of soft cheeses that they made yesterday. She visually inspects the rind for mould growth and tests their texture by feel.
7 am: Smear last week’s washed rinds
Afterwards, Bernie moves on to the pressed washed rind cheeses that were made last week. Those wheels need to be turned by hand and smeared with their special mixture daily for six weeks.
Her final stop is the blue cheese maturation room. There, she pulls out her cheese trier and sticks it into a wheel of cheese. She inspects the texture of the cheese throughout and gives it a little sniff. Good news! It is well on its way.
9 am: First batch of cheesemaking
By that time, Ben brings in the morning milk. He’s led their ewes back to pasture and it is now time to start making today’s batch of cheese. Bernie comes in to assess the milk and decides on what cheese to make today based on the milk’s qualities.
The milk goes through the pasteuriser and then culture and rennet are added. Thus begins the magical transformation of milk into cheese.
11 am: Debrief for a new cheese launch
After the morning make, Ben & Bernie have a quick debrief session and discuss some of their marketing plans for the launch of a brand new raw milk cheese that they have been working on for 3 years. It is getting very close to fruition and they are very excited!
12 pm: Lunch followed by the afternoon make
Time for a quick lunch break and Bernie is back in the dairy for the afternoon make. While she starts work on a batch of blue cheese, Ben is out and about on the farm doing some maintenance work. The tractor has been playing up again.
3 pm: Cheese delivery & health check
By mid-afternoon, the cheesemaking is done for the day. It is now time for Ben to pick up a small selection of cheeses from their maturation rooms and deliver them to local businesses that stock their range. In that time, Bernie does a quick health check on the herd to make sure all the milking ewes are well and have healthy and clean teats.
7 pm: A good day’s work
By dinner time, they are both tired but happy. They take immense pride in the quality of their milk and the cheese that they make. This is a simplified breakdown of what a cheesemaker’s day is like. But, hopefully, it is enough to give you a sense of what their work involves.
A day in an artisanal cheesemaker’s life
Now, I realise that not all artisanal cheeses are made on farms. But the process involved will not change much. The only difference might be that the farming and cheesemaking are done by different people. I hope that this story helps you understand the essence of artisanal cheese. And why it costs as much as it does. Does this story resonate with you? Let me know in the comments.
Jonah is a a hipster, eco-warrior and slow food afficionado. Coming from a scientific background, Jonah has a particular interest in cheese science. And yes, he loves a good cheese pun!
