Knockdrinna cheese making and a little red Dexter heifer

I borrowed Chris's 4x4 and Sean's trailer and headed off for a busy day of cheese making and collecting a heifer. I discovered a cheese making course that was on in Stonyford in County Kilkenny while searching the net a couple of weeks ago. I arrived there in the morning around 11am and Helen the owner started bang on 11am. We started off by introducing ourselves and talking about our reasons for being there.

Helen discussed the different techniques and methods for making cheese and although I knew a lot of what she was talking about already, it was the tips she was giving that were invaluable. Some examples would be renneting at different temperatures and then the length of time before the curds are ready to cut. All the books say, add the rennet and leave to set, no mention of time at all. I had been leaving my cheese for 24hrs to set where really 1hr would have been enough.

We ate a fabulous platter of the different cheeses that Knockdrinna produce while Helen discussed each of them, from goats, cows and sheep milk cheeses.

This pic shows one of the 700 litre vats that the cheese is made in, it was an impressive set-up and Helen said how she purchased all of it second hand except for the big shiny new cheese press.

A selection of cheeses in the ageing room, they were of all different ages.

I finished up at 3.30 and headed off down in the direction of Clonmel to collect the little red dexter heifer. She was a little wild but we managed to get her into the trailer and back home. I put her in with Woolly & Cara and hopefully they will get on OK. This dexter is going to be a challenge to halter train but that's what its all about.