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Cheese from Scotland, Ayrshire

DunlopTraditional Ayrshire Dunlop

Whole milk from Ayrshire cows, raw or pasteurised, is renneted in open vats and the curd is cut and stirred by hand while the acidity is checked. The whey is run off, the curd is left to knit and sour to about 0.55 % acidity, then milled, salted and pressed overnight. The cheeses are scalded in hot water, wrapped in cloth and ripened 6–18 months on wooden shelves.

Fully documentedCheese6 months – 18 monthsPGI (Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop, 2015)Family: Cheddared cheese family (Cheddar as template)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives no recipe amounts. Cheeses are made in three traditional sizes, about 350 g, 3 kg and 20 kg.
Whole milk from Ayrshire cowsRaw or pasteurised[dunlop-oj-2014]
SaltMixed into the milled curd; finished cheese holds 1.6–1.8 % sodium chloride[dunlop-oj-2014]
Cloth bandagesDipped in hot water and wrapped round each cheese[dunlop-oj-2014]
Startera freeze-dried lactic starter for direct addition to the vat (Defra summary)

Total time across the recorded steps: 6 months – 18 months

Start
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38 °C

What changes: Rennet sets the milk in an open vat and the curd is cut and stirred by hand

Step 1 of 5
Set the milk and cut the curd
Time
40–50 min
Reported
Temperature
38 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Acidity is checked with an acidity meter while the curd is stirred and cooked. In the Defra summary, pasteurised milk is held at about 72 °C for 15 seconds and cooled to 30 °C, and the starter ripens in it for an hour before the rennet goes in. Output: curd grains in whey.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
curd cut and stirred gently by hand until it reaches the right firmness
Colour
Not documented

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

Whole milk from Ayrshire cows, raw or pasteurised, is renneted in open vats and the curd is cut and stirred by hand while the acidity is checked. The whey is run off, the curd is left to knit and sour to about 0.55 % acidity, then milled, salted and pressed overnight. The cheeses are scalded in hot water, wrapped in cloth and ripened 6–18 months on wooden shelves. Made in 5 steps over 6 months – 18 months. The longest step, ripen on wooden shelves, takes 6–18 months (European Commission 2014).

Key numbers
Main step6–18 monthsSet[dunlop-oj-2014]Ripen on wooden shelves
Temperature38 °CReported[dunlop-defra]Set the milk and cut the curd
AciditypH 5.2–5.4Set[dunlop-oj-2014]Ripen on wooden shelves

What makes this one different

Dunlop is made much like Cheddar, with the curd knitted, soured, milled and salted before pressing. It uses whole milk from Ayrshire cows and is scalded and bandaged in hot cloth before 6–18 months on wooden shelves.

Milk
Whole Ayrshire cow milk, raw or pasteurised
Ripening
6 to 18 months; most sold at 10–12 months
Composition
Moisture 39–44 %; fat in dry matter 52.1 %; salt 1.6–1.8 %; pH 5.2–5.4
Size
About 350 g (3.5 inches across), 3 kg (7 inches) or 20 kg (13–15 inches)

Related ferments

Variants

  • MildRipened 6–10 months.
  • MatureRipened 10–12 months.
  • Extra matureRipened 12–18 months.

Safety

Raw or pasteurised milk is allowed. The 2014 EU single document lists limits for the finished cheese, with Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella absent, E. coli under 10 and S. aureus 20–100 (no unit given). The Defra summary of the specification gives at most 10 E. coli and at most 10 S. aureus per gram, with Salmonella absent in 25 g. For cheese made with raw milk, the US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not remove E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria may grow in certain cheeses during ageing. The CDC says people at higher risk, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid cheese made with raw milk unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella (absent), E. coli (under 10) and Staphylococcus aureus (20–100) in the 2014 EU single document; at most 10 E. coli and 10 S. aureus per gram and no Salmonella in 25 g in the Defra summary.

History and sources

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

The specification credits Barbara Gilmour of Dunlop, who learned whole-milk cheesemaking in Ireland during exile from about 1660, returned after 1688 and taught local farmers. Production was revived in Dunlop parish in 1989. The Defra summary adds that small farm cheesemakers almost disappeared after the middle of the 19th century, when large cheese factories and the railways took over, and that by the Second World War very little cheese was made on farms. The name was entered in the EU register as a PGI by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/581 of 26 March 2015.

  1. [dunlop-oj-2014] European Commission 2014, Single document «Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop» (UK-PGI-0005-0889), Official Journal of the EU C 417/13, 21 November 2014spec
  2. [reg-2015-581] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/581 of 26 March 2015 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop (PGI))spec
  3. [dunlop-defra] Defra, Specification 'Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop' (main elements of the product specification), gov.uk protected food namesspec
  4. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  5. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov