Cheese Care

Storage

Depending on temperature and storage conditions, the flavour profile and texture of cheese continues to develop as it matures. We recommend refrigerating your cheeses as soon as possible if you wish to preserve them for future use, but ensure they are well wrapped to prevent dehydration of the cheese.  Cling film often gets a bad (w)rap, but it remains one of the most versatile and useful ways to retain moisture in refrigerated foods. 

However, we recognise that some people like to enjoy their cheese in different ways.  If you want your cheese to continue maturing and to develop stronger, and more pungent flavours, keep it loosely wrapped in cheese paper and place it in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry.  Keep an eye on dehydration and excessive mold growth on the rind.  Some cheeses will start to emit a strong odor when left in these conditions. 

Temperature

Before serving your cheeses, remove them from the refrigerator to bring them back to room temperature.  You will be surprised what a difference this makes.

Wrapping

Cheese is a living, breathing food. There is nothing wrong with wrapping cheese in cling film to slow maturation and retain moisture.  You may wish to use breathable paper, but check the cheese regularly to ensure it does not dry out.

Whole Cheeses

For cheeses that are delivered as whole wheels, they will start to lose moisture once cut.  Again, cling film works well for most hard cheeses. 

For cheeses with external mold growth – such as a brie, washed rind or blue cheese – retain the paper or foil in which the cheese was wrapped and reuse it. 

For blue and washed rind varieties, keep an eye on the cheese surface to ensure it is not becoming wet or slimy.  If this occurs, simply wipe them with a damp cloth to minimize mold growth and rewrap.

Cheese cloth and wax

Some of our cheeses are wrapped in cheese cloth.  It goes without saying, the cloth is inedible!  However, if you wish to cut from a large wheel it is better to cut through the cloth than to unwrap it completely before cutting. This ensure that moisture is retained when refrigerated. 

Some of our club cheeses are dipped in wax.  Again, the wax is inedible, but you can keep it on the cheese to prevent dehydration.