Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Making Cheese at Gubbeen



The last three days I have been working in the cheese factory at Gubbeen. On Monday and Tuesday we are making two vats a day, both 2,000 liters which is just over 4,500 lbs of milk per vat. On Wednesday and Thursday we are just making one vat a day. 

Gubbeen Cheese has been produced since 1979 by Giana Ferguson, with Rosie and the Gubbeen dairy team. It has been enjoyed across Ireland, Europe and America, and has won some of the key cheese awards both in Ireland and England. Gubbeen Cheese is a surface ripened, semi-soft cheese with a delicate pink and white rind that is developed in Gubbeen's curing rooms by daily washing and a lot of skilled care.

We will be making more cheese later in the season. 

I have learned a number of things already about cheese making and affinage.  I am able to spend a fair amount of time with Giana one on one. I am still planning parts of my training out right now. I have many visits to local cheese factories and shops in the works. Hopefully they work out. I also will be making some small batches of cheese on my own over the stove where I will be able to experiment a little. I'll write again later this week!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jon

Looks pretty cool and I like the blog. Do you think you are going to put on weight eating cheese all day? Gus says hi and his pants are on backwards.

Charlie

Anonymous said...

Jon,

I'm enjoying your blog. I have a question for you- it looks in the picture that the cheese vats are wood- or maybe just wood lined. Is that true?

one more question- what is your favorite kind of cheese?

thanks, Cheese hound

Anonymous said...

Hi Jon,

Thank you so much for writing this blog and sharing your experiences with us!

Karen - Babcock Institute

Kelsey Metzig said...

Cheese Hound
Yes the vats are made out of Teakwood with a stainless steel inner tub. They are a traditional Dutch design.
Jon

Unknown said...

Dear Jon:

My name is Lei , I have been living in Ireland for ten years now.

I love cheese, and my dream is about to come true next year which is setting up my own business-pizza takeout.

If it is going well, next step is to set up a italian pizzaria.

The problem about the cheeses that are available in the chinese market is that the quality is poor and only a few types of cheese are on the shelf.

wondering if i could pay a visit to your cheese making factory to learn how to make cheese.

i would like to pay for it.

would you consider my proposal?

Unknown said...

Hi Jon,

I would like to ask you a few questions about cheese making internships in Europe. Do you have an email address I can reach you at?

Regards
Niel