The Bourne family has been hand making Cheshire Cheese for over 100 years. The cheese is made here by John Bourne, who has forty years experience, and whose Grand-father and Father both were Cheshire makers. Son Tom is the next generation now closely involved in the Dairy. As you will see from the pictures below, all our cheese is made in the traditional 'hands on' way that hasn't really changed for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Our cheeses are made using the milk from our own "Malbank" herd of pedigree Holstein Friesian cows. Both the farm and the herd are managed in an environmently responsible manner, with great concern for the welfare of our cows, which leads to the production of high quality milk and subsequently dairy products.

Please Note: All of our cheese is suitable for vegetarians

The milk for most of our cheese is pasteurised (heat treated), which kills 90% of the naturally occuring bacteria. A culture of 'lactic acid' producing bacteria is then added to begin the cheese-making process.

When all the milk is in tha vat, and after the necessary 'ripening' time, a coagulent called 'vegetable rennet' is added, causing causes the milk to form a semi-solid mass.

When this process is complete, we then cut the curd by hand to release the whey (the liquid). The mixture of curds and whey (remember little Miss Muffet!) is stirred and heated slowly for a further time - during which the pieces of curd shrink. We then separate the curds and whey.

We now have just the curd left in the vat, which we break and turn by hand to enable further drainage of whey and drying of the curd. Throughout this process, the curd shrinks, until finally salt is added and the curd is then 'milled'.

The curd is then put into moulds to produce the once familiar traditional round cheeses. The cheeses are then stored for up to 12 months to ensure that they fully mature producing the rich tangy flavour that all good Cheshire cheese used to have and Bourne's hand made Cheshire still does.

Please click here for a more in depth look at the general process of making cheese.

Vegetable Rennet

Traditionally the coagulant 'rennet' has come from calves stomachs. Another form of rennet is called 'vegetable rennet' which is derived from certain strains of fungi and bacteria. Today, this type of rennet is very popular, reflecting a move towards 'vegetarian cheese'.