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Cheese from England, Gloucestershire

Double Gloucester

Double Gloucester is a hard cheese of full-cream cow milk, coloured orange with annatto and made in a wheel about twice as thick as Single Gloucester. It is made much like cheddar but pressed more lightly, so it stays moister and crumblier. It matures at least six months, until mild and nutty.

Fully documentedCheese6.1 monthsnone (Single Gloucester is a PDO; Double Gloucester is not protected)Family: Cheddared cheese family (Cheddar as template)

Recipe

Double Gloucester, a photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Adriao, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Amounts from a sourceNo modern recipe or specification was found. The make below is the 1928 USDA account of Derbyshire cheese, which that account says Gloucester is identical to; Double Gloucester differs only in being twice as thick. Today's creamery method may differ.
Full-cream cow milkHistorically from one or two milkings; the 1928 account mixes evening and morning milk[cheeseshed][usda-608]
AnnattoThe orange vegetable dye that sets it apart from Single Gloucester[cheeseshed][oxford-companion]
Rennet[usda-608]
Salt1 pound per 1,000 pounds of milk (1928 account of the Derbyshire method)[usda-608]

Total time across the recorded steps: 6.1 months

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
27 °C

What changes: Rennet sets the mixed milk at about 27 °C, and annatto colours it orange

Step 1 of 6
Set the milk
Time
1 h
Reported
Temperature
27 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Evening milk, kept from souring as far as possible, is mixed with morning milk. Double Gloucester is always coloured with annatto; the 1953 handbook says Gloucester could also be coloured red or brown when about a month old. Output: firm curd.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
orange from annatto

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Double Gloucester is a hard cheese of full-cream cow milk, coloured orange with annatto and made in a wheel about twice as thick as Single Gloucester. It is made much like cheddar but pressed more lightly, so it stays moister and crumblier. It matures at least six months, until mild and nutty. Made in 6 steps over 6.1 months. The longest step, mature, takes at least 6 months (The Cheese Shed) and runs at 16 °C (Doane C.F 1928).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 6 monthsReported[cheeseshed][oxford-companion]Mature
Temperature16 °CReported[usda-608]Mature

What makes this one different

Double Gloucester uses full-cream milk, is always coloured with annatto and is matured at least six months. Single Gloucester PDO is uncoloured, thinner and eaten at about two months; its specification sets the starter step at 30–32 °C and a scald of up to 32–35 °C. Both are pressed more lightly than cheddar.

Milk
Full-cream cow milk
Size
About 41 cm (16 in) across and 10–12 cm (4–5 in) thick, about 11 kg (24 lb); Single Gloucester is a little over half as thick
Salt
In a 2012 survey of UK pack labels (published 2014), 6 of 10 Double Gloucester products met the 2012 target of 1.8 g/100 g, and those 6 averaged 1.58 g/100 g
Composition (1953)
Gloucester moisture 32.3–36%, fat 29–33%, salt 2–2.5%

Related ferments

Variants

  • Single Gloucester PDOUncoloured, thinner and younger, from milk that should come from Gloucester cows.

Safety

In a 2012 survey of UK pack labels (published 2014), 6 of 10 Double Gloucester products met the 1.8 g per 100 g salt target; those 6 averaged 1.58 g of salt per 100 g.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Gloucester cheese is recorded from the late 1500s and Double Gloucester was most famous in the 18th century. Both Gloucester cheeses came close to extinction in the 20th century. In the 1970s Charles Martell helped save them by preserving the Old Gloucester cattle breed and making both cheeses.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [usda-608] Doane C.F., Lawson H.W., revised by Matheson K.J. 1928, Varieties of cheese, descriptions and analyses, USDA Bulletin 608 (Derbyshire; Gloucester)archive
  2. [usda-hb54] Sanders G.P. 1953, Cheese varieties and descriptions, USDA Agriculture Handbook 54 (Gloucester; Derby)archive
  3. [hashem2014] Hashem K.M., He F.J., Jenner K.H., MacGregor G.A. 2014, Cross-sectional survey of salt content in cheese, a major contributor to salt intake in the UK, BMJ Open 4:e005051, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005051paper
  4. [oxford-companion] Davidson A., Oxford Companion to Food, entry "Gloucester cheese" (via ckbk)book
  5. [cheeseshed] The Cheese Shed, The Gloucester cheeses (cheesemonger article)web
  6. [single-glouc-pdo] Defra, Product specification "Single Gloucester" PDOspec