I opened my first Cotswold yesterday and its wonderful.  The texture was good and firm, albeit a bit on the dry side (similar to Farmhouse Cheddar).  But the taste is terrific!  I love the onion flavor.  I have a second one that I’m going to age a bit longer - if I can stay away from it.  I do have 40 lbs. of cheese in the cave, so the variety will help in leaving it alone.  Anyway, I will recommend this cheese to anyone.

Best tactic to make sure cheese ages longer is to have lots in the cave.

How long did you age the cotswold that you are eating?

Aged just over one month.  The second one I intend to go at least 2 months.

I made my second 2 gallon raw cow milk cotswold today.
I like that one because it is fairly easy to do.
I added one finely chopped Jalapeno to the recipe as well as two tablespoons of salt.
I also made a gallon of whey brine for the future.

Good luck !

Thanks.

I made a Cotswold a couple of months ago.  We opened it last week and it is very crumbly.  The flavor is good, and it’s great crumbled on salads and in omelettes, but was a little disappointed in the texture. 

I have not not much time for cheese-making lately.  The garden is in full bloom so am busy with canning and preserving the bounty.

Any ideas about the crumbliness and dryness of the Cotswold?

Yeah, I had the same impression of the Cotswold also.  I’m thinking that since the recipe is very similar to a Farmhouse Cheddar - just with some additives - it may be a given with this one.  But I’d be glad to be proven wrong.

Some reasons for crumbliness and dryness may be due to:

Insufficient rippening due to excessive drying of the body, too much acidity in the milk, excessive use of cheese starter culture bacteria, too high a temperature during draining. If the body of the cheese is hard and dry and difficult to ripen this is due to the drying process being done much too rapidly.