Digital Days Out Wednesday 8th April: Cheese-making Step 3 – Rennet Addition

Rennet is added after the ripening period and is stirred into the milk. The milk is allowed to stand and ‘set’ for a further 40-45 minutes, during which time the milk coagulates to form a semi-solid jelly-like junket.

Some of you at home may remember eating ‘junket’ while you were young! To test that the milk has ‘set’ we do the ‘back of the hand’ test! Watch out for it in the video!

Rennet is a complex set of enzymes traditionally produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk! We use a natural plant-based rennet derived from a thistle which makes aLL our cheese vegetarian, apart from our Kit Calvert Old-Style Wensleydale! A handcrafted buttery textured cheese made with natural rennet. Named after the father of Wensleydale cheese ‘Kit Calvert’, whose efforts helped to save the Wensleydale Creamery from closure in 1935!!