On a recent holiay to Morocco, I was struck by the abundance of goats and sheep and the relative lack of cheese. The manager of our hotel explained that, while the local people got a great deal of use of their livestock, cheese-making was a craft that they did not possess and had little interest in. As a result tolerable cheese travelled rather long distances to be there, and was pricey.
It occurred to me that a wonderful life could be had, herding goats amid the harsh beauty of the Atlas mountains and making delicious goaty cheeses to sell to hotels to pay for the needfuls.
The only problem being of course that I too am ignorant of the cheesemaker's craft.
Are there courses in cheesemaking one can go on? Has anyone done so? Any thoughts?
Cheers
Jon
You need to talk to the floppy haired bloke out of blur. He makes cheese now I think.
Hmmm, north Africa is indeed not known for its fine cheeses...I wonder why it hasn't seem to have made it south of the Med? Is it something they tried and didn't like? Do you think you'd start a cheese-craze or are you thinking of supplying the hotels for the cheese-missing travellers from Europe?
This bloke seems to be doing quite well, bringing cheese to the godforsaken wastes of the Isle of Wight:
[url] http://www.isleofwightcheese.co.uk/saycheese/ [/url]
I'm sure hand-milking 200 goats a day would swiftly lose the novelty appeal. Better to get the tourists to do the 'authentic' hand-milking and then sell them the cheese. /dragonsden
Poor grass in Morocco! which is something i never thought i'd say!
Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
Its just manky milk isn't it?
[i]I'm sure hand-milking 200 goats a day would swiftly lose the novelty appeal.[/i]
This is something that I'm rather glossing over I admit. 🙂
Chewy milk
I'm sure you'd find a special goat to keep you happy.
Perhps it's too hot to make good cheese?
I'm sure that some craft cheesemaker would take you on as an apprentice for a while.
Might be hot outside but in a cave/under the sand it'll be a nice low temp, and building regs are non-existant out there!
re the milking/tending of goats scenario, I don't want to state the obvious but could you not just buy the milk and then turn it into cheese.
I can see the Friday A&A photo thread being banned in a year's time with BD pleading "...well, it gets lonely after a while in the Atlas mountains, and this particular nanny goat and me had been getting along [i]particularly[/i] well..."
It's a very sensible point Gary_M. I think my vision of the good life probably needs some goats in it, but I perhaps do not need a number sufficient to sustain industrial cheese production. At least not right away. 🙂
There's probably a reason that only the very poorest or the mentally retarded* men in my wife's village become goatherders.
* completely true, but is that the correct PC term these days?
I'm sure hand-milking 200 goats a day would swiftly lose the novelty appeal.
I knew a girl from Rushden who would have very transferable skills into the world of multiple goat handmilking.
Factor in a steady supply of cider and black and productivity would be impressive.
re the milking/tending of goats scenario, I don't want to state the obvious but could you not just buy the milk and then turn it into cheese.
You need whole milk, so if you could buy it direct from a goat herder/owner then yes I suppose so. I doubt they have such things as pasteuurueueruueurisation.
'pasteuurueueruueurisation' I'm lovin it 🙂
Blessed Are The Cheesemakers
Shimano?
Thanks. 😀Blessed Are The Cheesemakers
I studied at Reaseheath college in Nantwich many years ago, but basically learnt on the job. It's not too hard. 😉
[i]Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
[/i]
LOL at CoffeeKing 😀
There's probably a reason that only the very poorest or the mentally retarded* men in my wife's village become goatherders.
Are you Borat?
mogrim - MemberThere's probably a reason that only the very poorest or the mentally retarded* men in my wife's village become goatherders.
* completely true, but is that the correct PC term these days?
Educationally sub normal [i] I think[/i]
BD - you went to Morocco and all you could think about was cheese? Sometimes I just want to weep. 🙂
Anyway, it seems that, when joining the middle class scrum in [url= http://www.barbakan-deli.co.uk ]the Barbakan deli in Chorlton[/url], I bought [url= http://www.saddleworthcheese.co.uk/ ]some Lancashire cheese[/url] off a [url= http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a174213/ex-corrie-star-turns-to-cheese-trade.html ]bloke[/url] who used to be in Coronation Side or whatever TF it's called.
If they can do it in Saddleworth, you sure as hell can make cheese high in the Atlas.
[i]If they can do it in Saddleworth, you sure as hell can make cheese high in the Atlas. [/i]
I dunno. They're a very wierd bunch around here. Normal rules do not apply.
Anyway - goats cheese. Tastes of goats. Not good.
Anyway - goats cheese. Tastes of goats
And you know that how..?
by eating goats cheese
Trouble is, and I'm surprised no-one's bought this up; is that goats cheese is clearly the Devil's Horse willy cheese* in disguise ...
*I'm guessing...