Cheese
Chipping Children "Say Cheese"!
A Dairy Day Out for Chipping School Children
A Wooly Work of Art in Chipping
Perfect Cheese Scones in Chipping
Bowland's Cheese Quest - Watch the slide show!
Timber and Tales at Chipping
Visitors to the 82nd Annual Chipping Agricultural Show this year enjoyed a whole host of demonstrations, competitions and activities on a sunny Saturday in August and the Landscape Stories project went along too!
The Show seemed like the perfect place to meet people, tell them about the project and listen to their tales of cheese and chairs, so we were very pleased that so many people came along to our stand for a chat on the day.Along with our regular displays we took along quizzes and activities for visitors to have a go at, and being in the home village of HJ Berry's, some of them had to have a "woody" angle! Particularly popular was the "Guess the Timber" test where brave participants had to identify ten different types of wood. We've put some of the clues at the bottom of the page so you can have a go too!
This part of the county is also famous for it's cheese making history and the showground itself happens to be only a stone's throw away from the first cheese factory in the area, now Goose Lane Cottages. We talked to a number of people who shared stories of Lancashire's cheese heritage with us and hope to add some of them to the website soon.
In the meantime, here are a few fascinating dairy facts to keep you going!
- There are three main types of Lancashire cheese - traditional creamy, traditional tasty and crumbly;
- Lancashire cheese is unique because it uses the curd from several day's milk;
- Britain makes around 700 named cheeses;
- We eat almost 3/4 million tonnes of cheese in Britain each year; and
- It takes around 10 litres of milk to make 1kilogramme of cheese
And as promised, here are a few timber brain-teasers. Wood from the trees below is used in furniture making but can you guess the name of the trees from the clues?
- This wood is tough and shock-absorbing and so is often used to make sports equipment such as hockey sticks? The seed cases from the trees are often called "Spinning Jennies" or "helicopters".
- This type of wood can be used for smoking foods and was very important for ship-building in the past?
- This tree produces very strong timber, has slim, copper-coloured buds and has fruit known as "mast"?
- If this wood gets repeatedly wet and dry it decays quickly (and is often used to make coffins because of this!) Which wood is it?
- This tree has small, delicate, "ace of spade" shaped leaves and often has silvery-white, peeling bark. Can you name it?
How did you get on? Click here to view the answers
Chipping Children "Say Cheese"!
Children at a primary school in Chipping were treated to a whistle-stop guide to cheese making from local dairy owner Bob Kitching recently.
Bob, who runs the village's Leagram Dairy, called in to school to show the children just how he makes his organic produce. Before their eyes, the children saw the transformation of milk to cheese – and all in a fish tank!
In the space of just an hour or so, Bob demonstrated step by step how organic milk, liquid rennet and a pinch of salt becomes the type of cheese we would all recognise on the shelves of the local shop or supermarket.
Some of the children even got the chance to join in hands-on – carrying out the 
important jobs of carefully stirring the liquid curds and whey , separating the whey from the curds by squeezing the liquid through a muslin bag and then breaking the curds up again ready to go into the cheese mould.
After being pressed in the mould, the cheese, Bob explained, would be wrapped in a special covering then finally dipped in wax to keep it clean and ready for storing.
The visit was great fun and gave the children lots to think about. And as a bonus, Bob left behind a selection of different cheeses to try!
The demonstration was part of a year-long programme of cheese themed activities which the school are carrying out with the Forest of Bowland AONB as part of the Landscape Stories project. Next stop – a visit to a dairy!
A Dairy Day Out for Chipping School Children
Lancashire cheese was definitely on the menu this week when the Landscape Stories project went out and about with a group of Ribble Valley school children.
Seven Key Stage 2 pupils from St. Mary's RC Primary in Chipping saw first hand how sheep and goats' milk is transformed into cheese during their visit to Leagram Organic Dairy.
Staff and children looked a picture as they donned protective hair nets before being given a guided tour by dairy owner, Bob Kitching, who explained the traditional cheese making process. From milk vats and curd cutters to cheese presses and colour-coded wax coverings, the group made lots of exciting discoveries. 
And to make sure that their friends back at school didn't miss out – the children captured the whole visit on DVD!
After seeing the modern dairy the children then stepped next door - and back in time - to Leagram's very own cheese museum to see some of the traditional dairy equipment which Bob has collected over the years.
And before heading back to school, the lucky visitors even got the chance to sample some of the cheese made at the dairy – a resounding hit!
A Wooly Work of Art in Chipping 
Children at St. Mary's Primary School in Chipping came over all creative for Landscapes Stories when they worked with artist Annie Coxey recently. The children have been working with the AONB since September when they had their first "cheesy" session. Since then they have watched cheese being made, had a visit to Leagram Organic Dairy and found out all about why this part of Lancashire is so good for cheese making.
This latest session saw children fastening on overalls and rolling up sleeves to make two beautiful felt hangings to decorate their classroom walls. And it was perfect timing for their own studies too as this term they have been looking at geology and soils.
Annie explained all about the wool we'd be using and how Merino fleece is excellent for felt making. She had brought along a wonderful selection of colours so that Years 5 & 6 could conjure up an "above ground" scene, whilst Years 3 & 4 used their imaginations to create an "under ground" world.
The two large pieces were great for team work as the children had to co-operate to produce the finished pieces, deciding which colours to put where, wetting and smoothing the fleece gently, carefully rolling up the (heavy!) felt in the bamboo and taking it in turns to roll the big, soapy, wet bundle until the fleece was felted.
Once we'd carefully unrolled them from the bamboo the finished masterpieces were laid out in the classroom to dry but we weren't quite finished yet!
Each of the older children then made a felt flower to take home with them, whilst the younger children stepped back in time to make ammonites – whorly sea creatures now often fossilised in rocks. Flowers and fossils will be added to the fleeces once they are ready – completing the school's very own under ground and over ground stories!
Why not take a look at our step-by-step guide to felt making www.forestofbowland.com/landscape_stories_felt
Perfect Cheese Scones in Chipping
Children at St. Mary's Primary school became expert bakers this spring when they rolled up their sleeves to make some very tasty cheese scones - with expert tuition provided by members of Chipping Women's Institute.
Thanks to the guidance of such experienced bakers, the class weighed, measured and mixed their way to a batch of delicious scones made with locally produced, tasty Lancashire cheese. And then, still warm from the oven, the mini masterpieces went on sale at the school's bring and buy stall along with lots of other mouth watering cakes. Needless to say, they were snapped up in a flash.
Earlier in the year, members of the WI worked with children from Brabins Primary who have also been involved in the Landscape Stories project. The area around Chipping, Garstang and Goosnargh, close to the south western edge of the Forest of Bowland, is home to no less than ten cheese producers, many of which are family-run businesses going back three or four generations and over the last nine months, local children have been finding out all about this traditional rural industry.
Why not follow the link to see our bakers in action and, even better, try out the recipe below? (Children will need adult supervision for this one as the oven is set quite hot!)
Ingredients:
375g self raising flour 150g Tasty Lancashire cheese grated
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
60g soft margarine 1 teaspoon mustard powder (optional)
200ml milk
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 220˚C or Gas no. 7 and collect equipment.
- Grease a baking sheet.
- Sieve flour, baking powder, mustard and salt together.
- Rub in the margarine until the mixture is crumbly.
- Mix in most of the Lancashire cheese, leaving 2 tablespoons behind for the topping.
- Add the milk and mix to a soft dough using a round bladed knife (you may not need all the milk but you will use any left overs later).
- Knead dough gently to make it smooth and pat out until 2cms thick.
- Cut out with a 6cm scone cutter – you should get around 8 scones.
- Place them well apart on the greased baking tray, brush with milk and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake on a high self for 15-20 minutes until light, golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack and spread with butter when just warm – delicious!
(Recipe courtesy of Chipping WI)
Down on the Farm
A morning full of rural sights, sounds and smells awaited youngsters from Darwen when they visited the Forest of Bowland recently.
June 9th saw 37 children and 4 members of staff from St. Peter's Primary School arrive at New Laund Farm in Whitewell to take part in a packed schedule of activities as part of the Landscape Stories project.
Along with Colour Bingo and Animal, Vegetable or Mineral (two great observation games from the Woodland Trust and FACE) the Year 6 pupils saw cows being milked, sheep being sheared and got the chance to check out one of the farm tractors.
On hand to answer questions and demonstrate their skills and countryside knowledge were farmer John Alpe, Rachel and Paul. In the milking parlour John explained how the cows are fed whilst being milked, showed us how the clusters are attached to the cows udders and then let us all watch whilst Daisy (probably not her real name) calmly gave 10 litres of milk.
Over in the shearing shed Paul had the tiring task of shearing 10 sheep -although with a flock of 1000, this was just a drop in the ocean! - whilst Rachel talked us through how and why this tricky task is done. Everyone then got the chance to feel the soft fleece after it had been rolled up ready for its journey to the wool marketing board in Bradford. (And woa betide too much dirt being left in there as this would reduce the price.)
After a thorough hand wash and a hearty lunch the visitors then boarded their coaches back to Darwen – a little bit wiser about where our milk (and our woolly jumpers) come from.
Wish you were here…….
To round off their year of learning about Lancashire's cheese heritage, the children at St. Mary's Primary School in Chipping spent an afternoon looking at what makes their own village so special.
After all, Chipping was reputedly the home of Lancashire's first commercial cheese making venture.
With the help of our very own Cathy Hopley, the class of 7 to 11 year olds took part in a mini "Sense of Place" workshop. First up was a trip around the village, note books and instamatic camera at the ready. Churches, shops, houses, veteran trees and views of the surrounding countryside were all studied as the children sought out their favourite scenes.
Back in the classroom the children set to work designing postcards which captured the distinctive qualities of Chipping – spelling out in words and pictures exactly what makes this Bowland village such a great place to visit!
Take a look at some of our pictures to see just what these village ambassadors came up with.
Bowland's Cheese Quest
Thanks to staff at St. Mary's and Brabin's Primary Schools, Leagram Organic Dairy, New Laund Farm, Chipping Women's Institute, artist Annie Coxie and writer Maureen Fenton, local children have looked, listened and tasted their way to the top of the cheese board this year – and they certainly know their crumbly from their creamy!
From dairy visits to demos, farming to felt landscapes and from poetry to postcards – our quest to uncover Bowland's cheese making links have taken us up hill and down dale!
Slide show: Why not take a look at our slide show to see how our cheese quest story unfolds? (click Esc to stop the slideshow!)
Curds and Whey!
To celebrate National Cheese week at the beginning of October the Landscape Stories project went off to Goosnargh, near Longridge, to meet the ladies responsible for producing one of the key ingredients in this traditional product – and also some of the men and women who make it!
Thanks to Mrs Kirkham's Cheese at Beesly Farm, over 30 visitors found out what it takes to make Lancashire cheese and exactly where the milk comes from – in this case, right next door! Because the ladies in question were the dairy's very own herd of around 80 cows.
Cheese maker Fiona treated us to a fascinating explanation of the production process and also took us out to see the cows, which had just been brought inside for the winter. (Normally they're out in the fields during the day and only come in at night.) We learned that it used to take three hours, twice a day, to milk the cows but with the new parlour it now takes around 45 minutes – quite a difference!
Using 300 gallons of milk per batch, 1ml of rennet is added for each gallon of milk which is then heated to 30˚C. As the curd forms it sinks to the bottom leaving the liquid whey on top. (Fiona explained that Mrs Kirkham's combines the curd from two days milking and that it's this blending which gives Lancashire cheese its distinctive flavour.) It takes around an hour and a half to remove all the whey, through constant stirring and cutting, and the whey is then fed to the calves.
The curds are pressed and broken three times to make sure that all the whey is removed and then the curd is fed into a shredder which cuts it up into very small pieces. These pieces are then salted and piled into 10kg or 20kg truckle moulds which are weighted and left.
Next, the curds are unmoulded, buttered and dressed in a cloth binder and left to mature at around 12˚C, being turned regularly to help keep them in tip top condition. The longer the curds are left, the tastier the cheese becomes! Then it's off to wholesalers such as Neal's Yard Dairy in London and on to the plates of customers as far away as America. (Not forgetting the visitors on our Cheese Week event as we all got to sample some of Mrs Kirkham's traditional Lancashire cheese!)
A big thanks to Fiona and Mrs Kirkham's for all their help.
Pressing the Cheese
Local historian and cheese expert, Margaret Pannikar's new book "Pressing the Cheese", gives a fascinating insight into an important aspect of cheese making.
Do get in touch with the AONB if you would like details of how to buy a copy.
Email sandra [dot] silk [at] lancashire [dot] gov [dot] uk
Timber & tales brain-teaser answers:
- This wood is tough and shock-absorbing and so is often used to make sports equipment such as hockey sticks? The seed cases from the trees are often called "Spinning Jennies" or "helicopters". ASH
- This type of wood can be used for smoking foods and was very important for ship-building in the past? OAK
- This tree produces very strong timber, has slim, copper-coloured buds and has fruit known as "mast"? BEECH
- If this wood gets repeatedly wet and dry it decays quickly (and is often used to make coffins because of this!) Which wood is it? ELM
- This tree has small, delicate, "ace of spade" shaped leaves and often has silvery-white, peeling bark. Can you name it? BIRCH
(Ref: The British Cheese Board)
