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We are a nation of cheese lovers.
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Working our way through nearly
2,000 tonnes of it every day.
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And it all starts off with milk.
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It takes 700 tankers like this
to feed our daily habit.
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With around 2,000 types
to choose from,
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everyone has their favourite.
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I love a bit of the squeezy stuff.
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We're in the right place, then,
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because this factory
makes processed cheese!
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I'm Gregg Wallace.
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That's a massive fondue, isn't it?
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It is.
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Big cheesy smell!
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I'm learning the fon-dos -
and don'ts - of this ultra modern
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and deeply traditional food.
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Blessed be the cheese makers.
Blessed be the cheese makers.
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I'm Cherry Healey
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and I'll be sniffing out the secrets
of smelly cheese.
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And finding out how to perfect...
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Mm. Mm-hm.
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..my favourite comfort food.
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You've taken a household
staple to a new level.
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Historian Ruth Goodman
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helps uncover the 100-year-old
recipe...
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Ugh, that's horrible.
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..for the first convenience
cheese product.
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Over the next 24 hours,
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this factory will squeeze out over
115,000 tubes of processed cheese.
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That should "brie" good.
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CHERRY CHUCKLES
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Welcome to Inside the Factory.
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This is the Primula cheese factory
in Gateshead near Newcastle.
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This three-acre site produces
over 3,000 tonnes of spreadable
cheese products every year.
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As well as creamy spreaders
and liquid dippers,
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they make seven different flavours
of their best selling
spreadable cheese.
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And this time, we're following
production of their hot jalapeno
chilli variety.
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But before we put the squeeze
into our cheese,
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first, we have to make cheddar.
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This hard cheese is our most
important ingredient,
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and it's made 178 miles southwest on
the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales.
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Wow. What a location for a factory.
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So pretty.
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South Caernarfon Creameries
make 36 tonnes of traditional
cheddar every day.
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The dairy's owned cooperatively by
the farmers who supply it with milk.
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Their tankers come into the intake
area 20 times a day.
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Mark Edwards is in charge
of production.
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Mark!
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How are you? Pleased to meet you.
Gregg Wallace.
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You are the top man, right?
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Le Grand Fromage? Yes.
Excuse me.
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Obvious questions -
how much milk is on there?
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There's about 28,000 litres
on there.
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How many in one of your silos?
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About 100,000 litres. Whoa!
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How many will you go through
in a day, do you reckon?
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We'll go through about four silos
a day.
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That's enough milk to fill
5,000 baths.
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Are they all from the same
breed of cow?
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Yes, Friesian.
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Are you? Put a jumper on!
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GREGG CHUCKLES
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Milk is nearly 90% water.
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The rest is natural sugar
known as lactose,
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plus fat and protein.
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The driver will take a sample
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and we'll test it for the quality,
fats and protein.
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If we've got high levels, that will
get us a good yield of cheese.
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Well, it looks like that one's past.
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That's right. That's ready
to go now.
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We're ready to tip
into our silos.
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Our squeezy cheese
production line begins.
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The milk pours along
this 600 metre pipe...
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..and into the creamery's 629 square
metre cheese making room.
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The first job is to pasteurise
the milk
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by blasting it with heat
for 25 seconds.
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This destroys any
unwanted bacteria -
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the kind that might cause infection.
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Right, Gregg. There's our
pasteurised milk going into our vat.
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And it's gushing in as well!
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Now we need to add our starter
culture to the milk.
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Starter culture is a mix
of specially selected good bacteria.
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Tip that in now.
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Oh! It's in little balls. Yeah.
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These frozen cultures begin
the cheese making process
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by feeding on the lactose in the
milk and changing it to lactic acid.
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They also create the building
blocks for taste and texture.
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Mate, this little sachet cannot be
making a difference
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to a swimming pool full of milk!
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It certainly is.
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The exact mix of bacteria
is top secret.
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But to work properly they need to
stay at a cosy 39 degrees Celsius
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for 25 minutes.
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So, what cheddar are we making
for our squeezy cheese?
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We're making a mature cheddar.
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So if I wanted a mild cheddar
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would I need a different
type of culture?
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A different culture, yes,
would give you a different flavour.
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Today cheddar is manufactured
all over the world
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but it started in a little village
in the west of England.
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So, how can a cheese from Somerset
go global?
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Over to Ruth.
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I'm deep inside Cheddar Gorge,
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in one of the caves that local
cheese makers
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are reputed to have stored
and matured their cheese
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for nigh-on a thousand years.
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By the 17th century, cheddar
was a highly sought after
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and expensive regional variety.
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It was one of hundreds
of different cheeses
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being made on farms across Britain.
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And historically, any type of
cheese making was more of an art
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rather than a science.
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Recipes were often closely
guarded secrets.
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Working with the variables
of milk and bacteria
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and without sterilisation, meant
results could be rather
hit and miss.
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But all that changed in 1860,
thanks to a Somerset cheese maker.
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I'm meeting modern dairyman,
John Spencer...
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Oh, I love this
curds and whey stage.
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..who's introducing me
to this local hero -
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the father of modern cheese making.
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This is Joseph Harding.
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He was a dairyman and cheese maker
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and published in 1860 this pamphlet
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called Recent Improvements
in Dairy Practice.
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One of the main ones was hygiene.
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OK.
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So, before, you would have people
maybe coming in from the cow shed
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into the dairy.
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He stopped all that.
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As well as cleanliness,
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Harding also insisted
on scientific precision.
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I noticed that Sean's got a probe
for measuring the temperature here.
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I mean, in the mid 19th century,
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thermometers were a relatively
new thing.
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So before thermometers,
people are just guessing?
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Well, I think more than guessing,
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but two people would make very
different judgments,
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I'm fairly sure.
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So, when Harding is talking
about being more accurate
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with his temperatures, what he's
saying is you can standardise it.
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Absolutely.
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Another innovation was
strict timekeeping.
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Sean has really got his eye
on the clock.
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It needs to stay in the water
for 60 seconds.
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Not 55 or 65. OK.
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It makes a big difference.
Oh, right.
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And again, this is the sort of thing
that he documented and insisted on,
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and has influenced us
right down to today.
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Joseph Harding's improvements
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meant cheddar could be reliably
produced to the same standard
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day after day...
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..which positioned it for popularity
beyond its home county.
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Glyn!
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Ha-ha, Ruth!
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Hello. Marvellous to see you again.
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I've got you a cheese sandwich.
Oh, good.
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A cheddar cheese sandwich.
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Oh, excellent.
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Food historian Glyn Hughes is going
to tell me what happened next.
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I understand the process by which
Joseph Harding
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was making this cheese into
something much more...
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organised. Mm-hm?
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But how did it take off?
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Well, his family became really quite
evangelical about it -
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not just him, but his son Henry
and his wife -
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and they went all over the region
trying to persuade people
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to take up this new simplified and
better method of cheese making.
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But they weren't totally interested.
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The local farmers in Somerset -
"No, we've always done it that way."
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You know people what are like. Yeah.
They wouldn't change.
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And then this fella came along,
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an American with the most
astonishing name
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of Xerxes A Willard.
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Oh, dear! Poor man.
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What a name.
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Xerxes A Willard was
a small time farmer.
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He'd got a small dairy farm,
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but he was also a journalist
and food writer.
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He arrived in Cheddar
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and he found this absolutely superb
cheese being made here,
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and he became very friendly
with Joseph
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and he went back to
the United States
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and spread the idea of this
Cheddar cheese.
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Willard transported
Harding's methods
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into new American cheese factories
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and because it was cheddar
that he liked so much,
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that's the kind of cheese
they manufactured.
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And that's why,
within no time at all,
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cheddar has most of the market
for cheese in North America.
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Extraordinary.
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Mmm. Yep.
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This is rather good actually,
isn't it? Mmm.
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GREGG: In the North Wales creamery,
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we're also following Harding's
cheese making rules
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and the bacteria developing
our cheddar flavour
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is doing its job,
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converting the lactose in our 22,000
litres of milk into
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lactic acid.
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Now what?
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Our vat's nearly full of milk.
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Now we need to add our
rennet to our milk. Right.
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Can I? Yeah.
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00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:17,040
Right. Put that in there.
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00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:19,720
What is rennet?
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00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:25,120
It's a natural enzyme and reacts
with the milk proteins to set them.
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So, the culture
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raises the acidity? Yes.
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00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,360
The rennet is then acting
on that acidity? That's right.
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00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,360
And between the culture
and the rennet,
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it's going to turn the milk
into something solid. That's right.
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00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,520
So, we press this button here,
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00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:41,640
add rennet,
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00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:43,120
and that's it.
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00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,960
That's now dispersing all
and rennet into the vat.
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00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,960
We've got to wait now fo
40 minutes for that to set.
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00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:52,920
Right. We'll go and put
the kettle on. Yeah.
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00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,200
Got any milk? Plenty of milk.
Loads of milk!
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Can I have a latte?
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00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:58,240
Yeah!
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Almost two hours after the fresh
milk arrived,
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00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,320
it looks completely different.
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There you can see...
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00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,120
So, what's happening there,
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00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,720
all the milk proteins now are
joining together like a big jelly.
224
00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,120
It actually looks like it's
going off. No, that's fine.
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00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:17,760
Let me smell.
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00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:22,840
Yeah. If that was in my fridge,
that's going in the bin.
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00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:27,080
The protein and fat are clumping
into what's known as curds
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00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,720
and are starting to separate
from the watery part of the milk
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00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:32,320
called the whey.
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That is definitely thickening up.
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00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,360
Am I going to meet
an enormous spider?
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00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,720
No, I don't think so. We're not
allowed them in here.
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I'm no Little Miss Muffet,
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and to me it's not looking
too promising just yet.
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00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:48,480
It actually it's like yoghurt,
doesn't it?
236
00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:49,680
Yes, it does, yeah.
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Serrated blades cut up
the thickening curds,
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00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:56,760
helping to separate them
from the whey.
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An hour later and it's all poured
into what looks like a bathtub
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00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,680
for someone with very long legs.
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00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,560
There are four of them,
each 12 metres long.
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You can see now,
there's our curd solid.
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00:13:13,680 --> 00:13:16,880
You know that rubbish scrambled egg
you get on an aeroplane?
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00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:19,360
That just looks like that, yeah!
That is it, isn't it?!
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00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:24,600
It's sweet.
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00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:25,720
Quite sweet, yeah.
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00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:28,320
Oh, that's really nice!
248
00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,600
So, what you want
is all the liquid gone
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00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,800
and just the curds. That's right.
No way?! No, no whey!
250
00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,120
Three hours into making our cheddar,
251
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,200
and we've drained off a staggering
12,000 litres of whey.
252
00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:47,880
It used to be thrown away
253
00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:50,960
but these days it's turned
into a powdered supplement
254
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:52,600
popular with body-builders.
255
00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,360
The object of the game now
256
00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,120
is to get the remainder
of this liquid out of here.
257
00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,040
So, what we need to do now
is stir these curds,
258
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,640
and the whey will continue
to drain off.
259
00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,240
We need to press these buttons here,
the two green,
260
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:07,840
and that'll stir the curds.
261
00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,680
The more whey that's removed,
262
00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,840
the firmer the cheese will end up
263
00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,080
and our cheddar needs to be solid.
264
00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:21,240
Now we need to add salt
to our cheese.
265
00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:22,440
There's the salt.
266
00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,560
We need to spread evenly
267
00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,160
all the way up,
following those stirrers.
268
00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:28,200
All right.
269
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:32,880
What is the salt doing, apart from
obviously adding flavour.
270
00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,600
It's slowing the activity
of those cultures
271
00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:37,320
that we put in earlier on.
272
00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,560
It's also driving out any more
moisture that's in the curds.
273
00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,880
Right, OK. So it's drying it.
274
00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:44,760
It's adding to the flavour.
275
00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,560
It's stopping the cultures
developing,
276
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:49,600
and is it helping to preserve it
as well?
277
00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:51,560
It is obviously a
preservative, yes.
278
00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,240
So it'll stop the cheese
from spoiling.
279
00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,920
You're a fully fledged
cheese maker now, Gregg.
280
00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:58,440
Blessed be the cheese makers.
281
00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:00,240
Blessed be the cheese makers.
282
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:05,920
After ten more minutes of stirring
283
00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:10,880
we've removed almost 60% of the
milk's original water content.
284
00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:15,640
Our curds are now fully formed
and ready to be shaped.
285
00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:19,320
They travel to the pressing area...
286
00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,160
..where they've blown ten metres up
to the top of these metal columns.
287
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,320
These are our cheddar towers.
288
00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:29,640
The cheese is filled right
to the top.
289
00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,480
Cheese on top of cheese,
290
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:36,040
squashes it down. The pressure of
the cheese then forms a block.
291
00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,120
So there's no weight up in those
towers pushing them?
292
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,520
The weight is simply more cheese?
Yeah.
293
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,680
The chimneys are kept constantly
topped up
294
00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,480
with one and a half tonnes
of cheddar.
295
00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,120
It's the equivalent of two dairy
cows lying on top
296
00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:53,840
and squashing it down.
297
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:58,640
And the only technology is an
enormous metal chimney.
298
00:15:58,640 --> 00:15:59,840
It's a metal chimney
299
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,800
with a blade at the bottom that cuts
the blocks off.
300
00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:04,320
Amazing.
301
00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:09,080
Years ago we used to put our cheese
into moulds and press them by hand.
302
00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:13,640
It'd take about 24 hours
to create a block of cheese.
303
00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,520
Now, with this modern technique that
we've got here now.
304
00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:18,800
you'll get a block within
45 minutes.
305
00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,000
That is spongy! That's still spongy.
306
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,040
That then will go off into our cold
store for maturity,
307
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,800
and that's where it'll all
firm up and become harder.
308
00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,280
This spongy thing will turn
into a block of cheddar?
309
00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,160
Nice hard block of cheddar cheese.
310
00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:37,880
And how long's that take?
311
00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:39,960
Between three months
and 12 months.
312
00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,600
Between three months
and a year?! Yeah.
313
00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,200
Maturing the cheese gives the
bacteria inside
314
00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,160
time to develop the flavour.
315
00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:53,320
The longer it rests,
the stronger it'll taste.
316
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,640
It's taken five hours
and ten minutes
317
00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:01,400
to make nearly 2,400 kilos
of cheddar.
318
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:05,200
Now it's vacuum-packed and sent
to the chiller.
319
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,640
All cheeses start the same
way, as milk and bacteria.
320
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,920
But they can end up looking, tasting
and smelling very different.
321
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,680
Cherry is checking out
the microbiology
322
00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,200
behind this mind boggling variety.
323
00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,680
Choosing my favourite cheese is like
choosing my favourite child.
324
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,320
It's not possible.
325
00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,640
I love them all equally.
326
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,160
But how come there are so many
types of cheese?
327
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,080
And where does that smell come from?
328
00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:42,720
I've come to Somerset
329
00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,800
to learn from award winning
cheese maker Roger Longman.
330
00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:47,080
Hi, Roger.
331
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,640
Hi. Good to see you.
So, what are you making?
332
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:51,640
So, this is going to become a brie.
333
00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,200
I love cheese, so this is like
Disneyland for me.
334
00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:55,680
The right place to be.
335
00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,000
Soft, squishy brie
packs a smelly punch.
336
00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:04,480
But at the extreme end of the
cheese-ometer...
337
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:06,440
Holy Moley!
338
00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,160
..is this goat's cheese.
339
00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:12,760
Wow. That is a very intense smell,
340
00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:14,280
to be polite.
341
00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,800
So this is a washed rind cheese.
342
00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,440
We wash the cheese every single
day to grow a rind on it
343
00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:22,160
that is made from bacteria.
344
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,800
So, the offensive smell...
The perfect aroma.
345
00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,480
..is caused by the bacteria?
346
00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:27,760
It is, absolutely.
347
00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,840
It's given off by the bacteria
as it grows.
348
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:33,160
It's a very similar bacteria
that can grow in people's feet.
349
00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,720
Because if I smell that in my
trainers, they are going in the bin.
350
00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,720
And yet with this,
I can't wait to eat it.
351
00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:39,840
It's very odd.
352
00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:43,320
It is, but on a cheese, it's
absolutely what you're looking for.
353
00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:47,400
The smell is only one of the things
the bacteria are producing.
354
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:51,240
They're also altering the taste
and texture of the cheese.
355
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:54,200
Now, I never thought I would
say this,
356
00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:55,880
but can I help you wash
your cheeses?
357
00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,000
You can absolutely help me
wash my cheeses. Yes.
358
00:18:58,000 --> 00:18:59,360
This is so weird!
359
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:05,680
The bacteria we're encouraging
to grow are already in the air
360
00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,880
which makes them unique
to this location.
361
00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:11,960
Ten miles down the road
there'll be a different bacteria
362
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,120
which will create perhaps
a different colour
363
00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,080
and also a different flavour.
364
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,360
I can only make this particular
cheese, this particular taste, here.
365
00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:24,360
That's smell explained.
366
00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,560
Oh, yes! A cheese board.
367
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,520
Now there's another mystery
I want to solve.
368
00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,160
Why are there holes in Swiss cheese?
369
00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,120
Again that's caused by bacteria.
370
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:37,760
What we get in Swiss cheese,
371
00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,280
you get little spores of hay dust
in the milk.
372
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:41,520
It's perfectly safe.
373
00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:42,680
There's no harm from it.
374
00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:44,880
That just happens to be
the perfect breeding ground
375
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:46,440
for the bacteria to grow on.
376
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:48,720
The bacteria's eating some
of the cheese
377
00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:50,600
and it's producing carbon dioxide.
378
00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,560
There's big holes! Yeah, they do
cause this a pocket of air
379
00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,160
but it can't escape out of the
cheese so it just keeps growing,
380
00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,680
and then you end up with this bubble
inside the cheese.
381
00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:01,920
It's pretty amazing. That's
absolutely incredible.
382
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,800
So far, bacteria seem
to be the answer
383
00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,040
to all my cheesy questions.
384
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,720
What is the blue in Stilton?
385
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,440
So, the blue is not a bacteria.
386
00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:15,120
It's not? It's a mould.
387
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:17,360
But we do add it with the starter
cultures at the start
388
00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:18,440
when we make the cheese.
389
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,360
Mould is a microscopic fungus.
390
00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:25,480
On bread that's gone off,
it can be harmful,
391
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,640
but most cheese moulds don't
produce the same toxins.
392
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:31,760
But it's perfectly safe
for people to eat.
393
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:33,960
It has a tremendous flavour.
394
00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,240
Not made in Somerset, unfortunately.
395
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:37,680
We're not allowed to make Stilton,
396
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,920
but it's one of the best blue
cheeses around.
397
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:42,320
Like champagne and Parma ham,
398
00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,520
Stilton has protected status
of origin.
399
00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:47,240
So this is Stilton as well.
400
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,000
How come they look so completely
different? Where's the mould?
401
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,320
OK. This is a young Stilton before
it's developed the blue mould.
402
00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,880
You'll see very fine cracks in it.
403
00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,760
And that's where the blue mould
will grow at a later stage.
404
00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:00,680
So the spores are already in there.
405
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:02,160
They just haven't grown yet.
406
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,600
Why haven't they grown?
407
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,120
Why are they being so lazy?
408
00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:06,280
They can't breathe.
409
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,920
They need oxygen. There's no
oxygen in that cheese at the moment,
410
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:10,920
so the mould can't grow
on the inside.
411
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:12,200
So how do you get the oxygen in?
412
00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,560
We get the oxygen in by using a
stainless steel needle.
413
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,640
It's a technique developed at least
200 years ago.
414
00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:24,440
And we just basically push it in
the cheese at an angle,
415
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:26,400
all the way in...
416
00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,120
Thar she blows!
417
00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:31,120
So that is like opening the windows.
That is opening the window.
418
00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:35,120
So that the lovely spores
can have enough fuel...
419
00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:37,200
Absolutely. ..to start growing. Yep.
420
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,520
When it's about four weeks old,
421
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:42,240
a Stilton is pierced around
100 times,
422
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,800
which allows the mould spores
to spread
423
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,400
creating its blue veins
and distinctive tang.
424
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:49,800
It is very artistic.
425
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,160
It's probably like a snowflake.
426
00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,960
You could cut it and every time
it would be a different pattern.
427
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:55,320
It's beautiful.
428
00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:58,000
So there we have it.
429
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,120
The huge variety of cheeses
that we enjoy
430
00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,400
are all thanks to mould
and bacteria.
431
00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:06,120
They are the unlikely heroes
of the cheese board.
432
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,640
MUSIC: Rather Be
by Clean Bandit
433
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:17,760
Thanks to our bacteria and three
months of maturing, the cheddar
434
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,120
for our processed cheese is ready.
435
00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:24,880
And a new delivery is made every
week to the factory in Gateshead.
436
00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:29,960
The company, run by a charity,
437
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:34,520
has been making cheesy products
since 1924,
438
00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:38,160
and they all start
in the preparation room.
439
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:42,520
There's 200 kilos of cheddar waiting
for me and new products officer
440
00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,760
Sharon Cunningham to begin turning
it into spreadable cheese.
441
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:48,840
Here? Yeah, just there.
442
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,000
Right. How do you get that into a
little, squeezy tube?
443
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,880
Now, you're going to cut it in half.
444
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,760
Like this? Yeah, yeah.
445
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,280
Crying out loud!
446
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,800
The cheddar's in 20 kilo blocks,
447
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,920
and we need to chop them up so the
factory's machines can cope
448
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,360
with this very dense cheese.
449
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:13,920
Do you know what? It's better if you
wiggle it.
450
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,480
I need enough cheddar
for 5,400 tubes.
451
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,320
How many of those have I got to cut
in half?
452
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:21,640
You've got to cut...
453
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,560
..196kg, so there's about... Well,
you've cut that one.
454
00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,600
About another nine of them. Yeah.
455
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,800
Can you phone me wife and tell her
I'm going to be late for dinner?
456
00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,160
Right, OK. On the scale?
457
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:36,200
Yeah.
458
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,680
You're getting the hang of that now,
Greg.
459
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,200
That is physically really quite
demanding.
460
00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,000
It takes me 20 minutes...
461
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,800
SHE CHUCKLES
462
00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:55,920
..of solid slicing.
463
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:57,560
Ugh! That'll do.
464
00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,640
I've never have been so relieved to
see the back of a piece of cheese.
465
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,280
But it's not the only kind
we're using.
466
00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:12,840
We've also got 144 kilos
of Gouda.
467
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:19,600
Together, they'll make up 42%
of our finished spreadable cheese.
468
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,480
Why do you add Gouda? Gouda is
a milder flavour.
469
00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,240
Very mild. Compared to that.
Oh, love, give us a bit!
470
00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,280
Crying out loud! Just done 20, 30
kilo of cheddar for you
471
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:34,880
and what do I get?!
472
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,480
What wouldn't fill the stomach of an
average mouse!
473
00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:41,920
That is a lovely, strong,
mature cheddar, but that's
474
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:43,280
too strong for you. Yes.
475
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,120
So you put the Gouda in
to make it milder, basically. Yep.
476
00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:48,000
Right, how much Gouda?
I'm frightened to ask.
477
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:49,760
144, it'll be.
478
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,120
Thankfully the Gouda is soft
enough to go in as it is.
479
00:24:57,120 --> 00:25:00,040
We still need 15 kilos.
Go on, put that on.
480
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,360
That's a total of 340 kilos
of solid cheese that will go
481
00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:06,440
into our squeezy tubes.
482
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:07,840
Yes! Yay!
483
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:10,600
I've gone right off cheese.
484
00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,240
I can imagine!
485
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:18,680
We'll be putting these hefty chunks
into hi-tech tubes, but cheddar
486
00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,800
was first sold as a convenience
food a whole century ago.
487
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:29,040
Ru's finding out how it all began
with food historian Polly Russell.
488
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:32,560
Polly! Hello! Great to see you
again. You too, you too.
489
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:37,320
So, when and where do we see
the beginning of processed cheese?
490
00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:38,920
We have to go back 100 years.
491
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,320
We're going to go back to Chicago,
and it starts with a man whose name
492
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,440
will be familiar to you -
James Lewis Kraft.
493
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,040
Is that Kraft with a K?
Kraft with a K.
494
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:52,960
Familiar? Oh, yes, it is!
495
00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,560
And he was the son of a
German immigrant farmer
496
00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,080
and he was delivering cheese
to Chicago on the back
497
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:01,600
of horse-drawn carts.
498
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:06,520
He wanted to find a way to produce
cheese that would not deteriorate,
499
00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,080
that would remain totally stable.
500
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:11,920
Before modern refrigeration,
501
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,360
cheese went off quickly
in the hot Chicago summers.
502
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,200
But Kraft found a way to
stabilise it,
503
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,520
giving it a much longer shelf life.
504
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,440
And I have a patent here from 1916.
505
00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,800
"The Improved Process of
Sterilizing Cheese."
506
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:31,520
Sterilizing.
507
00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,960
Yeah, the sterilizing is crucial
because bacteria, microbes,
508
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,000
are absolutely essential to cheese.
509
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,640
They are what makes cheese cheese,
but it also means that it changes,
510
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,240
that it is, you know, precarious.
511
00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:44,640
Yeah, it's a sort of living organic
substance. It is.
512
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,360
It is. By sterilizing
the cheese, it is not
513
00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:48,760
going to deteriorate,
514
00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,320
and that's what this patent is for.
515
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,800
We're recreating the very first
processed cheddar
516
00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,920
by following the original patent.
517
00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:03,880
It doesn't actually specify
what sort of cheddar to use.
518
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,840
We're using a quite mature
farmhouse cheddar.
519
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,200
There are no other ingredients.
520
00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,040
The patent simply requires the
cheese to be heated.
521
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,760
"A temperature of 175 degrees
Fahrenheit,
522
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,600
"maintained for a period of ten or
15 minutes
523
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,640
"is ample to ensure thorough
sterilization."
524
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:24,880
Processing complete.
525
00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,640
We pour it into a
container to set up.
526
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:30,360
So that's it.
527
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:32,400
Got some sterile processed cheese.
528
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,080
Once cool, it's ready for sampling.
529
00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:41,520
Ew!
530
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,040
Oh, my!
531
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,240
That's horrible. That's just vile.
532
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,040
It's the texture thing.
533
00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,040
It's like butter and chalk
mixed together, isn't it? Yeah!
534
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:57,640
It's hard to imagine that this is
what the inventor had in mind,
535
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,520
and it tastes nothing like today's
processed cheese.
536
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,520
So this time we're adding
an ingredient that isn't mentioned
537
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:09,840
in the patent, but that's essential
when combining fats with liquids.
538
00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:12,120
We're going to use an emulsifier.
539
00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,000
Now, I suspect that Kraft used
540
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,960
an emulsifier back in 1916,
because they were around then.
541
00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:19,480
Do you think he did it deliberately?
542
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,480
In his patent, he's actually quite
vague.
543
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:24,320
Yeah, it's interesting
cos usually, you know, a patent is
544
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,760
supposed to stipulate very clearly.
Clearly.
545
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:28,120
Yeah, I mean, maybe he thought,
546
00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:30,040
"I've spent years and years working
this out.
547
00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:31,960
"I'm not having someone else come
along..."
548
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,320
And nick it. "..and nicking it."
Yeah.
549
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:44,960
Completely different.
550
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,800
And that's just that little bit of
emulsifier and nothing else. Yeah.
551
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,840
It's really bound everything
together, hasn't it?
552
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,400
This silky processed cheese
was sold in blocks and made
553
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,360
its creator extremely rich.
554
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:04,200
By 1930, it's estimated that 40% of
all cheese sold in America
555
00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:07,080
was produced in Kraft factories.
556
00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:09,600
We're talking about processed
cheese but I tend to think
557
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:11,280
of it, you know, like, pre-sliced.
558
00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:18,480
Yes. Norman Kraft, brother of James,
in 1935 wanted to work out a way
559
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,080
to make processed cheese even
more convenient for the consumer
560
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:23,880
and produced sliced cheese.
561
00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,080
So, what Norman worked out was that
if you put the molten cheese
562
00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,880
on a cold stainless steel top
and then rolled it with a
563
00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:37,960
cold stainless steel rolling pin,
564
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,360
it would remain pliable enough to
get it into slices.
565
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:46,000
My goodness. So that is that is your
processed cheese slice, isn't it?
566
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,240
That's your processed cheese, yup.
567
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,440
And that first becomes available
in 1950.
568
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:52,760
Have we improved it?
569
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:54,520
It's much easier to eat.
570
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,680
The sharpness is gone, but so is
all that horrible texture.
571
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,160
This is what you expect
from modern processed cheese.
572
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:04,600
It took the US by storm,
573
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:08,040
its convenience making it an instant
fast food hit.
574
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,680
And giving us those
American classics -
575
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,880
grilled cheese and cheeseburgers.
576
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,480
The main thing
is that it's the ultimate product
577
00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,840
for mass production in terms
of food.
578
00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,040
Total uniformity,
complete consistency,
579
00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,240
there's never
going to be any waste.
580
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:28,840
I mean, it just suits the modern
food supply system perfectly.
581
00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,480
And in that sense, it's ingenious,
582
00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,920
but I wonder, you know, the extent
to which housewives before
583
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:40,120
had ever thought, "Gosh,
slicing cheese is a real bother."
584
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:41,840
LAUGHTER
585
00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:43,240
I don't know!
586
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,840
In Gateshead, we're ready
to process our blend
587
00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:54,440
of hard cheddar and Gouda.
588
00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:58,560
Cooking it up will give
it a long life,
589
00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,920
but how on Earth are we going
to make it soft and spreadable?
590
00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:06,360
OK, where do we start?
591
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:07,680
Right, dose of water.
592
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:09,760
Water?! Water. Water?! Water.
593
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,720
The cheese makers took ages
taking all the water out of it!
594
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,600
I know. We're putting it back in.
595
00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,560
Do you want to do it?
Just put that down? Yep.
596
00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:20,960
And then you press that one.
597
00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:28,000
It needs 177 litres of water.
598
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,640
Right, what goes in now?
599
00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,360
The liquid cheese. Liquid cheese?
Yeah.
600
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,760
But that's what we're
supposed to be doing,
601
00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:37,920
turning this hard cheese
to liquid cheese.
602
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:42,840
What we're pumping in is cheese made
using different production methods,
603
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:44,600
which keep it soft.
604
00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:46,040
It's a low-fat cheese.
605
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:50,440
You can have more cheese for less
calories, and it adds to the taste.
606
00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,440
The liquid base is essential
for making and keeping
607
00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:57,840
our cheese squeezy.
608
00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:01,560
What goes in next?
609
00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,240
Milk powder.
It'll make it a little bit sweeter.
610
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:05,280
Whoa-argh.
611
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:10,480
Now what goes in?
We put in the whey powder.
612
00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,760
You've got whey powder? Yep.
613
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,400
You know the cheddar makers,
they've taken the whey out,
614
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:17,040
you're going to put the whey in?
We are.
615
00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,040
They've taken the liquid out,
you're putting liquid in. Yeah.
616
00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,280
Mate, you need to get together
with the cheese makers!
617
00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,440
We seem to have made cheese only
to be unmaking it again.
618
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,360
In there? Yeah.
619
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,000
The whey will make our base
thicker and creamier.
620
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,840
It's a bit hubble-bubble.
621
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:40,200
Next, it's those all-important
emulsifiers...
622
00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:41,320
Stick it in? Yeah.
623
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:43,880
..that will stop the fats
and liquids separating.
624
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:50,280
And starch will thicken the mix,
like adding cornflour to gravy,
625
00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,720
but there's still something
crucial missing.
626
00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:54,080
Can I put the cheese in now?
627
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:55,600
No, we have to whizz it up first.
628
00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,680
Come on, then. Lid down?
Yep, lid down.
629
00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:03,000
MACHINE WHIRS
630
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:04,760
Is it going to take off?
631
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,520
After nearly nine hours of active
production, at last we're ready
632
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:13,280
for the star of the show.
633
00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:14,600
So can I put the cheese in?
634
00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:16,000
Yep.
635
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:17,880
And that big punch of flavour.
636
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:21,000
Right now, that's all liquid, right?
Yeah, it is.
637
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,720
That's like frying a lump of
cheddar into a milkshake. Yeah.
638
00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:30,920
Most of the factories I see,
nobody touches anything.
639
00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:33,080
Little machines come out and do it.
640
00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:34,680
But this is very hands on.
641
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:36,640
So what do we do now? Stir it
around?
642
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:38,760
Yeah. yeah. We heat it up and mix it
up.
643
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:41,040
Agitator!
644
00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:43,640
Heating? Heating.
645
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,120
Yes? Yep.
646
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:46,920
Put it on auto. And auto.
647
00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:51,160
It's a bit space-age for a bit of
cheese, innit?
648
00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,320
Inside are 12-inch steel blades
649
00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,200
strong enough to cut through the
cheddar,
650
00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:00,640
and the giant blender doubles
as an oven,
651
00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:06,120
melting the cheese at 95 Celsius
and spreading it through the mix.
652
00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:08,760
You can properly hear that machine
working, can't you? Yeah.
653
00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,200
And I can hear the lumps
of cheese bouncing off the side.
654
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:14,760
That machine's getting a proper
workout.
655
00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,000
There are literally hundreds of
great cheese dishes,
656
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:23,160
but, in my opinion,
657
00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:26,000
nothing beats good old-fashioned
cheese on toast.
658
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,560
But are you making it correctly?
659
00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:31,800
Cherry's been getting the recipe
for success.
660
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:40,800
Cheese on toast - it is a
national comfort food.
661
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,440
How do you make it? Brown bread.
662
00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,000
I toast the one side... Yes?
..with the cheese on and I put
663
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,720
Worcester sauce on and then grill
it.
664
00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:51,120
I'm going to put butter on both
sides.
665
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:52,160
Ooh!
666
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,600
It's time to settle this once
and for all -
667
00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:00,560
is there a scientific method
for making cheese on toast?
668
00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,440
I'm heading to the University
of Reading to meet
669
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,920
food experimenter
Dr Stuart Farrimond.
670
00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:12,600
Hey, Dr Stu! Hey, Cherry.
Good to see you.
671
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:14,960
So are there any golden rules?
672
00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:18,920
There is some serious science
behind how to make the perfect
673
00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:21,400
cheese on toast.
674
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,680
Let's start with the base,
the foundation, the vehicle
675
00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:26,520
for the cheese - the bread.
676
00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,680
Now, I don't know if you've noticed
this but when you toast brown,
677
00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:32,560
it never comes out quite
as good as white bread, and there's
678
00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:33,960
good reasons for that.
679
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:37,800
The brown bread contains a substance
called ferulic acid.
680
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:43,000
That stops this wonderful browning
reaction that goes on on the top.
681
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,680
So I prefer brown bread.
I think it has more flavour.
682
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:47,440
I know it's got more fibre.
683
00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:50,440
But you're saying that for cheese
on toast, white is preferable.
684
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,040
If we're just thinking about
taste and flavour, then you should
685
00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:54,960
go for white.
686
00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:57,680
And Dr Stu
recommends pre-sliced.
687
00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:01,040
So you might think,
"Let's go for the chunky."
688
00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:03,840
Let's go for the chunky one.
Getting more bread in there.
689
00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:07,400
But most of the flavour is coming
from this browning reaction
690
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:12,440
on the outside and so medium works
out to be a really good compromise.
691
00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:16,040
So the next big debate.
692
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,880
Butter or no butter? Butter.
Really?
693
00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:23,360
Not if you're thinking
about your health, but the flavours
694
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:27,160
that come from that browning
reaction blend very well with fat,
695
00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:30,960
which is why if you have a dry piece
of toast you don't get the flavour
696
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,760
from it because you haven't got
the fat there to release it.
697
00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,080
And do we need to spread
it carefully?
698
00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:39,120
Need to get it right to the very
edges because this is going to let
699
00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:41,560
the very edge which isn't
going to have cheese on it
700
00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:42,960
have some flavour to it.
701
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:45,240
And also it'll help prevent
it from burning
702
00:36:45,240 --> 00:36:46,680
when it's under the grill.
703
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:49,360
Next up, the cheese.
704
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,480
Got mild, medium and extra
mature cheddar.
705
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,280
So, which one is the cheese
of dreams?
706
00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:02,160
The best melting cheese is either
the mild or the medium.
707
00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:05,560
I would have thought you'd go
for the extra mature cheddar.
708
00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:08,280
The longer a cheese is aged for,
709
00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,320
the proteins that hold it together
710
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:14,720
they become so tightly intertwined
with one another,
711
00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:17,320
they can't soften quickly enough
712
00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:19,000
when you put it under the grill,
713
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,920
so it's important you have a fairly
young cheese if you want it
to melt well.
714
00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:29,960
I always slice but Dr Stu insists
on grating and careful measuring.
715
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,440
50g of cheese
is the optimum amount.
716
00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,760
I probably got about 200g.
717
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,320
The accuracy doesn't stop there.
718
00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:47,040
You would have thought you should
have it really close
719
00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:48,520
to cook it well.
720
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:51,800
The surprising thing is that
if you double the distance,
721
00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:54,600
the heat only drops by a third.
722
00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:57,480
So at this distance, you get a nice
even spread of the heat.
723
00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,280
That's a scientific 18 centimetres.
724
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:04,800
You want a medium temperature,
about 130 degrees C,
725
00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:09,280
because that's the temperature
at which the browning reactions
will start.
726
00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:14,600
Science aside, cheese on toast is
a beautiful thing.
727
00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:19,440
MUSIC: Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus
by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
728
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:22,800
Look at that.
729
00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:29,200
But my slapdash approach
won't win any beauty prizes.
730
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:31,040
Oh, dear. Oh, dear me.
731
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:35,720
So mine is bad. Are there any
condiments that you can use
732
00:38:35,720 --> 00:38:37,840
to really take it to another level?
733
00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:39,400
I like Worcester sauce.
734
00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,640
I'd say put it on at the end
and that heightens the flavour
735
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:46,640
of the cheese and all the flavours
that are in there.
736
00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:48,800
We're going to try mine first.
737
00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:54,920
It's not BAD. It's not bad.
738
00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:57,520
It's cheese and it's toast.
How bad can it be?
739
00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:03,320
But it's quite hard to eat. It's
like eating into a leather sole.
740
00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:07,000
Mm-hm. Let's try my cheese special.
741
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:10,240
Oh, it looks really nice.
It looks better. Cheers.
742
00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:17,680
Mm. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. I mean...
743
00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:22,840
It's just the yummiest thing.
It's lovely and flavourful.
744
00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:27,360
So I can safely say that you've
taken a household staple
to a new level.
745
00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:30,280
We've given it the science
treatment.
746
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:42,360
At the factory, our 788
kilos of processed cheese mix
747
00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:46,280
has been cooking and blending
for 35 minutes.
748
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:47,520
Big cheesy smell!
749
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:51,040
Fabulous.
750
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:55,800
Right, what's next?
751
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,200
Put the jalapenos in.
752
00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:59,000
The extra flavour for our batch....
753
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:01,400
Chilies away!
754
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:07,440
..is a whopping 22 kilos
of red and green chilli peppers.
755
00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:09,440
I'm guessing the green one's
bitter. Yeah.
756
00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:10,920
And the red one's sweeter. Yeah.
757
00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:14,680
One last mix
and five minutes' steaming
758
00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:16,800
to cook the frozen jalapenos.
759
00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:20,640
Have we got cheese?
We have got cheese.
760
00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:22,600
Go on. Shall we have a look?
761
00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:25,160
And our spreadable
cheese is ready.
762
00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:29,360
Wow. I don't mind telling
you that aroma is lovely.
763
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:32,240
That's a massive fondue, isn't it?
It is.
764
00:40:32,240 --> 00:40:34,480
So are we ready to pour this out?
Or...
765
00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:36,280
We need to take a sample fast.
766
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:40,040
That is red hot.
767
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:45,880
Shall we? Yes.
768
00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:47,360
Cheese!
769
00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:49,040
We got cheese!
770
00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:52,560
Before we can use
our hot jalapeno mix,
771
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:54,920
it has to pass
Sharon's quality checks.
772
00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:58,760
I just can't imagine what tests
you have to do on cheese.
773
00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:00,760
What do you have to test it for?
774
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,400
We're looking at the consistency
of it.
775
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:04,720
It's runny.
776
00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:07,960
Yeah, but if it was a lot runnier
than that, we'd be worried.
777
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:11,000
Obviously we need to taste it.
Taste it?
778
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:13,160
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. I'm your man.
779
00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:20,560
I get the tang from the cheddar
and I get the heat from the chilli.
780
00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:23,040
Is that what you want?
Definitely.
781
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:24,560
OK.
782
00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:26,760
So, we put this sample in that
machine.
783
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:29,480
Is it taking an X-ray?
Not an X-ray as such.
784
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:31,440
It's like fingerprints.
785
00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:35,120
So it'll shine light into the cheese
and reflect it back
786
00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:37,880
to tell you what the fat
and moisture
787
00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:40,160
and the salt content of it is.
788
00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:41,920
Our blend aces the tests.
789
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,440
Is that it? That's done.
That's it.
790
00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:47,120
That cheese is ready to go
in the tubes. It is. Sharon.
791
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:49,960
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Gregg. Cheers.
792
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,440
Our hot chilli cheese
travels 30 meters into one
793
00:41:56,440 --> 00:41:59,000
of these 1,500-litre tanks.
794
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:04,280
The factory makes up to four
flavours at a time.
795
00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:07,440
So in here there's also salmon,
prawn and ham.
796
00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:10,400
Rob Thurgood
is the production manager.
797
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,320
Rob. Hiya. Gregg.
798
00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,920
I need to get cheese
from there into the squeezy tubes.
799
00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:18,640
Right, Gregg.
800
00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:20,960
Your cheese currently
is in Holding Tank 1.
801
00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:22,920
We need to get it into Filler 1.
802
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,200
And you do it with these hoses?
With these hoses.
803
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:29,880
In this factory there are four
filling stations, and it's vital
804
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:32,640
that my mixture is sent to the right
one.
805
00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:35,840
So just like an old telephone
exchange? It is.
806
00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:38,280
So this one here,
that is clearly pumping
807
00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:40,160
and actually that is red-hot.
808
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:42,920
What are the challenges
with moving cheese?
809
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:44,720
We want to keep it hot
810
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:47,720
so it stays liquid and keep
it moving, continuously moving
811
00:42:47,720 --> 00:42:49,480
all the time.
812
00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:52,600
But of this doesn't stay hot, it'll
start to go thick. It will.
813
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:54,880
No-one wants pipes full
of solid cheese, right?
814
00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:56,600
Definitely not.
815
00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:59,160
How long have you got
to move it through?
816
00:42:59,160 --> 00:43:01,640
You've got about an hour to keep
it moving. Right.
817
00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,360
That... Unscrew it?
Unscrew it.
818
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:09,840
And tighten it with the big
spanner.
819
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,640
Push the green button.
820
00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:15,120
Your cheese is now on its way over.
821
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,280
Yeah, OK, that's moving.
822
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:20,960
Gallons of red-hot liquid cheese.
It's quite scary. It is.
823
00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:27,960
We've got our cheese. Now...
824
00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:30,200
we need something to put it in.
825
00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:33,760
And Cherry's on the case.
826
00:43:35,240 --> 00:43:38,920
This Colchester factory
is the UK's biggest manufacturer
827
00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:40,760
of flexible tubes.
828
00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:44,080
They make 750 million a year.
829
00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:45,920
For toothpaste,
830
00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:48,800
beauty products and, of course,
cheese.
831
00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:54,000
Surprisingly, what ends up as black
squeezy tubes starts off as a roll
832
00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:57,080
of white layered
aluminium and plastic.
833
00:43:57,080 --> 00:43:59,200
Lee Woolgar is head printer.
834
00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:01,080
Hi, Lee. Hiya.
835
00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:04,800
So, are you going to show me
how to make a squeezy cheese tube?
836
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:07,320
I am.
Where do we start?
837
00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:08,600
Printing is the first stage.
838
00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:11,440
Right. What have we got here?
839
00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:14,440
OK. This is the artwork is
made up of seven different plates
840
00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:17,760
which is seven different colours
which go into making the design.
841
00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:19,760
This will have all the detail
842
00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:21,520
that we need for the black.
843
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,680
Every part of the design that isn't
going to be black has been cut
844
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:27,120
out of this printing plate.
845
00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:29,320
And this is just a kind
of rubber sheet?
846
00:44:29,320 --> 00:44:31,520
Yes. That holds the ink.
847
00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:34,800
There are six other sheets
with different sections removed
848
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:36,680
according to their ink colour.
849
00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:39,160
Let's do some art.
850
00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:40,560
Oh clever. Right.
851
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,120
To print evenly,
each rubber plate
852
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:45,200
is wrapped around a roller.
853
00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:50,080
Then they're slotted into
a 25-metre long printer.
854
00:44:52,680 --> 00:44:54,960
So that goes on here.
Can I do it? Yeah.
855
00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:57,400
All right. Do I have to line up
that bit with that bit?
856
00:44:57,400 --> 00:44:59,000
Yes.
857
00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:00,440
All right.
858
00:45:00,440 --> 00:45:02,720
Is it good to go? It is.
859
00:45:02,720 --> 00:45:06,400
Each section has a different
roller and ink colour.
860
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:07,880
Oh, look at that.
861
00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:10,080
Rich blue, that is beautiful.
862
00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:11,400
Are you ready? Go for it.
863
00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:17,200
There she blows!
864
00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:22,000
Every colour adds a new element
to the design.
865
00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:24,400
Hey.
866
00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:26,600
That is just incredible.
867
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:31,120
It's whipping through at 100 metres
a minute, repeating the pattern
868
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:32,440
12,000 times.
869
00:45:32,440 --> 00:45:34,080
That is a fast printer.
870
00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:39,880
It takes only ten minutes for
a 1km reel to be printed
871
00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:41,840
and pop out the other end.
872
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:43,920
Woohoo!
873
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:46,200
And then it just rolls. Wey-hey!
874
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:50,720
Oh, that's brilliant.
It's like a gigantic arcade game.
875
00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:55,920
That flat white laminate
has been transformed
876
00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:59,400
but it still looks nothing
like a tube.
877
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:00,840
Hi, Steve. Hello.
878
00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:04,800
Engineer Steve
is ready for the next stage.
879
00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:07,200
Under there.
880
00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:09,120
And then over this roller.
881
00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:11,760
First, we thread the machine,
a bit like you would
882
00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:14,480
an old-fashioned film projector.
883
00:46:14,480 --> 00:46:16,600
If you press that button there...
884
00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:20,960
Yeah. ..the machine should
start for you, hopefully.
885
00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:22,520
Oh, look!
886
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:26,600
It starts off flat, and then as
it goes through there,
887
00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:28,760
it's made it a circle.
888
00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:32,120
The machine curls the sides in
to form a cylinder
889
00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:35,440
then heats up the edges,
melting them together.
890
00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:37,920
It's almost like a
garden hose.
891
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:40,880
A cheesy tube, like a massive snake.
892
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:42,160
Correct.
893
00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:43,960
So, here it gets chopped.
894
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:46,800
Yes, it gets chopped, to the
same size every single time.
895
00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:50,720
I mean, it's incredibly fast.
So it's two rollers chopping.
896
00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:53,360
Yes. How many are going through
there?
897
00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:55,480
Running at about 160 tubes
per minute.
898
00:46:56,800 --> 00:47:00,520
It'll take just half an hour
to make the 5,400
899
00:47:00,520 --> 00:47:05,480
Gregg needs, but at the moment
they're still open-ended cylinders.
900
00:47:05,480 --> 00:47:08,440
Oh, look, I can see here. I
don't know what you call them.
901
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:09,720
Shoulders.
902
00:47:09,720 --> 00:47:11,880
You call them what?
Shoulders.
903
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:17,640
Oh, my God, I totally see
why you call it a shoulder.
904
00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:20,720
If the cap is the head,
that does look like a shoulder.
905
00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:22,480
Yes. That's so brilliant.
906
00:47:23,560 --> 00:47:25,400
Once the shoulders are melted on,
907
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:27,280
the machine adds a metal and
plastic
908
00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:30,760
seal to the nozzle to make sure
no cheesy mix can escape.
909
00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:33,640
And that's the bit I really
struggle to get off
910
00:47:33,640 --> 00:47:35,920
cos it's really fiddly.
911
00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:39,000
It's very fiddly and very tight
because it has to be a correct seal.
912
00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:41,280
And then where do you add the cap?
913
00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:42,920
The caps come down here.
914
00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:45,520
I love it - the shoulders are there,
heads are there,
915
00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:47,680
what about the knee and toes?
916
00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:54,800
Then it screws on like that?
Absolutely.
917
00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:57,920
Then out the other end,
918
00:47:57,920 --> 00:48:01,600
lo and behold, is that a
tube that's nearly done?
919
00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,400
It is. It's a finished tube.
Look at that.
920
00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:09,120
And only 40 minutes
ago, these were a sheet
921
00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:10,720
of flat white plastic.
922
00:48:13,440 --> 00:48:15,040
So, there we have it.
923
00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:19,560
A lovely finished tube with its
seal and shoulders and cap
924
00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:23,440
all in place.
That's a batch there of 150.
925
00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:26,560
All they need now
is some of Gregg's cheese.
926
00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:35,440
I'm on it. At the factory,
my hot and squeezy jalapeno mix
927
00:48:35,440 --> 00:48:37,760
has reached its filling station.
928
00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:43,080
Right. What's this?
These are the tubes.
929
00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:45,720
These are Cherry's tubes.
930
00:48:45,720 --> 00:48:48,240
We're going to fill 5,400
931
00:48:48,240 --> 00:48:52,480
of them with our 810
kilos of processed cheese.
932
00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:56,520
So, this is what you call
the finger picker.
933
00:48:56,520 --> 00:49:00,280
It's the finger picker. Picks 16
tubes up at a time.
934
00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:04,600
The machine is lifting them straight
from their delivery box.
935
00:49:04,600 --> 00:49:07,240
Two rubber discs go inside,
captures it,
936
00:49:07,240 --> 00:49:10,440
flips it over, and
then it gets pulled up by a rake.
937
00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:13,680
Oh, I can see.
It's like a big fork.
938
00:49:15,400 --> 00:49:20,160
The tubes are spun into the right
position with pinpoint accuracy.
939
00:49:21,680 --> 00:49:23,760
And those two blue lights,
small lights,
940
00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:27,680
are looking for this blue mark all
the time. That will align them.
941
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:28,800
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
942
00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,560
If it wasn't the right way round,
when it bent, it might bend
943
00:49:33,560 --> 00:49:35,000
down the middle of the info
944
00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:36,840
and you want it to seal like that.
945
00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:38,640
Like that every time.
946
00:49:38,640 --> 00:49:41,560
Every time. Clever! Clever.
947
00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:47,360
The empty tubes are in place.
948
00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:50,480
And above the machine is our vat
of jalapeno cheese,
949
00:49:50,480 --> 00:49:52,800
bubbling away
at 85 degrees Celsius.
950
00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:57,320
So, the cheese is up there
in that hopper.
951
00:49:57,320 --> 00:49:59,720
How is it getting into those
tubes?
952
00:49:59,720 --> 00:50:01,320
What look like steel udders...
953
00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:03,560
inside there is a metal spindle.
954
00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:05,120
The cheese comes down.
955
00:50:05,120 --> 00:50:06,640
Starts filling.
956
00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:11,440
And as it starts to put
the hot cheese in, it comes away.
957
00:50:11,440 --> 00:50:14,320
Yeah. So it's got
the right amount.
958
00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:19,160
150g goes into each tube, leaving
enough space to seal it in.
959
00:50:20,840 --> 00:50:25,000
It looks like they're milking
a cow. Robo-cow. Robo-cow.
960
00:50:26,120 --> 00:50:28,000
Well, cheese is milk, isn't it?
961
00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:33,200
Now there's a 400-degree
blast of air.
962
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:38,600
It's so hot, it melts the ends
of the tubes together.
963
00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:42,280
And finally, the machine
neatly trims off the edges.
964
00:50:44,080 --> 00:50:46,160
State-of-the-art engineering
965
00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:49,240
so that we can squirt some
cheese out of a tube.
966
00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:52,680
Yep!
967
00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:00,560
It's taken 45 minutes to fill
my batch of tubes.
968
00:51:02,640 --> 00:51:04,760
Now they're weighed...
969
00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:06,480
and X-rayed to make sure
970
00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:08,800
there's nothing inside but our mix.
971
00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:12,400
Now what happens
to our tubes of cheese?
972
00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:14,760
Now the tubes go into
to the blast chiller.
973
00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:17,560
Ready for packing
for the customers. Incredible.
974
00:51:20,240 --> 00:51:22,000
Squeezy cheese finished...
975
00:51:23,080 --> 00:51:25,040
..what shall we spread it on?
976
00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:33,320
Surprisingly, the rather refined
cheese cracker started life
977
00:51:33,320 --> 00:51:35,560
as this.
978
00:51:35,560 --> 00:51:37,320
The hard tack ship's biscuit.
979
00:51:37,320 --> 00:51:40,680
Made for sailors to eat
on long sea voyages...
980
00:51:40,680 --> 00:51:42,760
..they were thick and tough.
981
00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:44,960
That is rock hard.
982
00:51:44,960 --> 00:51:49,440
In 1831, a factory baking ship's
biscuits was established
983
00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:53,120
here in Carlisle
by Jonathan Dodgson Carr.
984
00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:56,800
Mr Carr went on to develop a thinner
ship's biscuit that was much
985
00:51:56,800 --> 00:52:00,080
more delicate and fit
for the captain's table,
986
00:52:00,080 --> 00:52:03,920
and advertised to be eaten
with cheese.
987
00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:08,440
These table water biscuits
were an instant hit
988
00:52:08,440 --> 00:52:10,480
and have been made here ever since.
989
00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:12,400
Hi, Tony. Lovely to meet you.
990
00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:13,960
Nice to meet you.
991
00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:16,160
So, what's happening right now?
992
00:52:16,160 --> 00:52:19,280
We're just about to set a mix off.
Can I do the honours?
993
00:52:19,280 --> 00:52:22,120
Yes, just that button there.
994
00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:24,080
There she blows!
995
00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:27,040
Tony Kidd makes seven million
crackers every day.
996
00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:32,160
It's a deceptively simple recipe.
997
00:52:32,160 --> 00:52:36,600
600 kilos of flour, mixed
with 155 litres of water...
998
00:52:37,840 --> 00:52:40,000
..plus a little oil and salt.
999
00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:41,680
Wow, look at that.
1000
00:52:41,680 --> 00:52:43,760
God, it is so crumbly.
1001
00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:45,600
The mix is sent downstairs,
1002
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:49,040
where Tony's going to show me
the secret of transforming it
1003
00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:50,880
into a crispy cracker.
1004
00:52:50,880 --> 00:52:53,200
It then goes through a set of
rollers.
1005
00:52:54,240 --> 00:52:57,120
Oh, look how... Can I touch it?
Yeah. Yeah.
1006
00:52:57,120 --> 00:52:59,760
So when it comes out of that set
od rollers, that's about three
1007
00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:01,520
and a half centimetres.
1008
00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:04,680
I mean, it's like a paving stone,
it's so heavy and dense.
1009
00:53:04,680 --> 00:53:08,080
Yeah. It's really, really
bound together tightly.
1010
00:53:10,560 --> 00:53:14,520
This dense, heavy dough is thinned
down through a series of rollers
1011
00:53:14,520 --> 00:53:17,120
to just four and a half millimetres.
1012
00:53:18,960 --> 00:53:21,640
So, what on Earth is going on here?
1013
00:53:21,640 --> 00:53:24,160
So it just goes through
our lamination process.
1014
00:53:24,160 --> 00:53:25,960
What is a lamination process?
1015
00:53:25,960 --> 00:53:29,560
To me, lamination is when you put
a plastic sheet over something.
1016
00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:31,880
Basically, lamination puts layers
in it.
1017
00:53:31,880 --> 00:53:34,480
So, it's a layering
process.
1018
00:53:34,480 --> 00:53:36,440
So, you've now got six sheets
of dough.
1019
00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:38,120
Why have you done that?
1020
00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:40,720
We'll see further down the process.
1021
00:53:40,720 --> 00:53:44,560
The layers are flattened
and re-rolled until the sheet
1022
00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:47,960
is just 1.5 millimetres thick.
1023
00:53:47,960 --> 00:53:50,080
Oh, here we go. Finally.
1024
00:53:50,080 --> 00:53:52,800
All right.
We have our final sheet.
1025
00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:55,280
That is... It looks like material.
1026
00:53:55,280 --> 00:53:58,240
It's so thin, it looks like
a kind of cotton sheet.
1027
00:53:58,240 --> 00:54:01,480
Yeah. Is it now ready to be cut
out? It is. Yes.
1028
00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:06,000
The dough speeds under a cutting
roller
1029
00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:08,200
which punches out more
than 5,000
1030
00:54:08,200 --> 00:54:09,400
cracks a minute.
1031
00:54:09,400 --> 00:54:10,680
Oh, look!
1032
00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:11,960
Here we are.
1033
00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:14,160
Oh, these are amazing.
1034
00:54:14,160 --> 00:54:15,880
God, they're so thin.
1035
00:54:15,880 --> 00:54:17,360
Can I pick one up? Yeah.
1036
00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:20,200
It is quite a thin...
It's incredibly thin.
1037
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:23,000
I mean, look at that.
That is paper thin, nearly.
1038
00:54:29,240 --> 00:54:33,360
The delicate discs head into a
150-foot oven,
1039
00:54:33,360 --> 00:54:37,280
heated to an intense 370
degrees Celsius,
1040
00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:41,680
emerging two and a half minutes
later as hot,
1041
00:54:41,680 --> 00:54:43,800
crisp crackers.
1042
00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:47,600
Hooray! Look at these. Oh, my gosh.
Here they are.
1043
00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:49,960
Can we take one off the line?
Yeah. They're very warm.
1044
00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:52,600
You've got to move fast. Yeah.
They are very warm.
1045
00:54:52,600 --> 00:54:54,600
Woohoo!
1046
00:54:54,600 --> 00:54:56,480
Can I try it? Yeah.
1047
00:54:56,480 --> 00:54:58,000
Mmm.
1048
00:54:58,000 --> 00:54:59,400
It's really flaky.
1049
00:54:59,400 --> 00:55:01,280
Is that because of that
lamination process?
1050
00:55:01,280 --> 00:55:02,760
It is. Yeah. Yeah.
1051
00:55:02,760 --> 00:55:05,240
That's the six layers
of flakiness that it gives you,
1052
00:55:05,240 --> 00:55:08,560
that lamination process. And that's
where you get that lovely crunch.
1053
00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:10,280
Yeah - the bite.
1054
00:55:17,160 --> 00:55:20,880
Over 150 years of biscuit making
tradition,
1055
00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:24,160
coming to a cheeseboard near you.
1056
00:55:24,160 --> 00:55:28,480
And to think it all started
from a rock-hard ship's biscuit.
1057
00:55:40,040 --> 00:55:45,040
In Gateshead, my 5,400 tubes
of jalapeno cheese
1058
00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:46,840
has arrived in packaging.
1059
00:55:50,440 --> 00:55:52,040
That's cold now.
1060
00:55:52,040 --> 00:55:54,360
Last time I touched it,
it was red-hot.
1061
00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:57,120
Now it's really cold.
Below five degrees.
1062
00:55:57,120 --> 00:56:00,520
The tubes have been blast-chilled
at minus 15 degrees C.
1063
00:56:00,520 --> 00:56:03,080
Now they're cold, what
happens to them?
1064
00:56:03,080 --> 00:56:06,880
So, now they get put into trays
of 12. This is our robot.
1065
00:56:12,240 --> 00:56:14,800
I know it's weird, but it seems
to me like the machine
1066
00:56:14,800 --> 00:56:17,640
is really pleased with itself.
1067
00:56:17,640 --> 00:56:20,160
It's lovely - it's stacking
them up like soldiers
1068
00:56:20,160 --> 00:56:22,840
on parade there. It's fantastic.
1069
00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:27,360
We all need a machine like this
to organise our homes, don't we?
1070
00:56:27,360 --> 00:56:30,000
That's how I would like
my sock drawer.
1071
00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:31,040
So would I!
1072
00:56:32,120 --> 00:56:34,360
Mate, thank you so much.
1073
00:56:34,360 --> 00:56:36,240
Thank you. Thank you.
1074
00:56:42,680 --> 00:56:47,120
It's 11 hours and 56 minutes
since production began with milk.
1075
00:56:48,120 --> 00:56:51,520
And now my tubes
are being loaded 15 at a time
1076
00:56:51,520 --> 00:56:52,960
into 450 boxes.
1077
00:56:54,160 --> 00:56:58,200
They travel into a massive
800-square-metre chiller
1078
00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:01,760
and from there, orders are
collected for distribution.
1079
00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:05,560
Today, managing director
Paul Lewney
1080
00:57:05,560 --> 00:57:07,840
is sending them off to the shops.
1081
00:57:07,840 --> 00:57:11,000
Hi. Paul. Gregg. You're the big
boss.
1082
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:13,200
Cheese ready to go.
Absolutely.
1083
00:57:13,200 --> 00:57:14,720
So, as accurately as you can,
1084
00:57:14,720 --> 00:57:18,200
how many actual tubes leave
your factory every day?
1085
00:57:18,200 --> 00:57:22,320
Every day, Gregg, we'll ship about
115,000 tubes.
1086
00:57:22,320 --> 00:57:26,000
Seven days a week? Seven days a
week across the whole country.
1087
00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:27,640
We can't be eating that many.
1088
00:57:27,640 --> 00:57:29,960
Trust me, you are. We can't be.
1089
00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:31,920
People are confusing it
with toothpaste.
1090
00:57:31,920 --> 00:57:33,800
Absolutely not.
1091
00:57:36,520 --> 00:57:38,280
This is our last pallet, isn't it?
1092
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:39,680
It looks like it's ready to go.
1093
00:57:39,680 --> 00:57:41,680
Shall we let him load?
Yep. Take it away.
1094
00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:48,000
From here, it's distributed
to supermarkets all over the UK.
1095
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:53,400
It also has fans as far afield
as Malta, Greece and Korea.
1096
00:57:59,840 --> 00:58:01,840
What a journey for a piece
of cheese.
1097
00:58:01,840 --> 00:58:06,400
From a creamery in North Wales
to a factory in Gateshead.
1098
00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:10,200
We started off with enormous blocks
of cheddar that I had to cut in half
1099
00:58:10,200 --> 00:58:11,680
and then add Gouda.
1100
00:58:11,680 --> 00:58:14,720
Then a lot of other ingredients
then cook it all up.
1101
00:58:14,720 --> 00:58:17,560
All so that it would fit
inside a squeezy tube.
1102
00:58:17,560 --> 00:58:19,760
Amazing.