If clothbound cheesemaking has suddenly appeared in your social media feed - you're not alone.
Our friend and supporter, Morgan McGlynn Carr, recently shared a video unwrapping one of our traditional clothbound Trotter Hill cheeses in her Muswell Hill cheese shop. More than six million people have now watched it, sparking a wave of interest in what is a time-honoured cheesemaking technique.
To see so many people discovering a part of our craft that has been in our family for four generations, is really exciting. So, what exactly is clothbound cheese, and why do we still do it?
Our Guardian of Great Cheese, Gill Hall, describes cheese as a living, breathing thing - and it changes from fresh curd into a fully ripe cheese over time.
Clothbinding is one of the oldest ways of protecting cheese as it matures, allowing proteins to slowly break down and develop richer, complex flavours and a softer texture – and that’s exactly why we continue to use this technique to mature some of our heritage Lancashire cheeses.
Once pressed, the cheese is wrapped in a tight-fitting muslin cloth before it begins to mature. Unlike modern packaging and coatings, like wax or plastic that completely seal a cheese, the cloth acts as a natural protective layer, allowing the cheese to slowly breathe while it is maturing.
This process makes all the difference, because as the cheese matures, moisture slowly escapes through the natural rind, intensifying the flavour and creating the open, crumbly texture that British farmhouse cheese is known for. At the same time, helpful moulds and bacteria develop naturally on the rind, adding depth, complexity and character.
It’s a natural process, so no two clothbound cheeses mature in exactly the same way. The milk, the season, the conditions - they all shape the personality of each individual cheese. Clothbound cheese takes time and care, with regular brushing and monitoring throughout maturation. It's a slower, hands-on process, but one that's absolutely worth it - as Morgan brilliantly brings to life in her video.
This method has been part of our story since 1932. Today, we continue to clothbind some of our heritage cheeses including Trotter Hill Tasty Lancashire, Rothbury Red Leicester and Goosnargh Gold Double Gloucester.
At a time when more people are curious about where their food comes from, we're proud to see traditional clothbound cheesemaking inspiring a whole new generation of cheese lovers. If Morgan's video or learning about clothbound cheese has inspired you, we'd love you to give it a try. Explore our range here.
