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My second stilton mader on 26th April is looking as it should after the first one but it had a very distinct smell of fish....not so much a smell of ammonia which Stilton tend to get when they are over ripe nor the smell of the seas but a definite fishy smell of fish on the nose.

Now I used a different milk although it came from Tesco it was not their usual stuff but made by Cavendish or some one like that also I used Danone Yoghurt and buttermilk for starter instead of MA400.

My first stilton has the smell of mushrooms which is normal but I have not come across this fishy smell before in my experience.

IT COULD BE THAT THE CATTLE HAVE BEEN FED ON FISHMEAL OR SIMILAR and this is causing the smell.

I will have to refer.


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I doubt it. What you can feed cattle is pretty highly regulated these days.

Try making with organic milk next time - it is not that much more expensive.

Don't they still use seaweed as a cattle feed in some parts of Ireland? They used to, but I'm not sure if it still happens. I do know that fishmeal has been a major component in cattle pellets for a long time.

UPDATE ON THE FISHY CHEESE.....

Well I gave it a wine wash and removed most of the greeny/grey mold last week and I have been turning it and keeping it moist as when I left it open to the air it started to show signs of cracking.

Now I wipe it every day but the fishy smell has changed to an outright stink
It smells more like a LIMBURGER than a Stilton and with all the stiltons I have made I have never never had one smelling like this.

If any cheese deserved the name of "Stinking Bishop" this is the one. It really is enough to make you shudder, and I have smelled and tasted some strange cheeses, and in all probability is going to have a great taste.....if you like that sort of strong cheese.

I have been going over the cheese log and the only difference is the use of the starter cultures which I must confess I have never used before and that is Buttermilk in conjunction with Onken natural Biopot yogurt .

The cultures used in the making of this yogurt are LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHOLUS. BIFIDOBACTERIUM LONGUM and STREPTOCCOCOS THERMOPHILUS.

The only culture I am not familiar with is Bifidobacterium Longum and I wonder if this is causing this reaction. I must confer with David Fankhauser and see if he has any ideas on this culture, I might even convince him to look in on the forum so get your kit tidies up.

So I shall watch points and see how it develops but I will cease to wash the rind with wine.


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I have succumbed to complaints from the family to banish fishy cheese from the kitchen.

So he is now imprisoned in one of Franco's empty Reber bags which I saved for further use with my FoodsaverII alive in a vavuum.

I can still keep my eye on it and turn it every day but the horrible stink is under control at last and the family can stop holding their noses when they enter the kitchen.......it's the girls really that complain about grandads stinking cheese and make puking noises when ever I am around chanting ."Grandad smells........ Grandad smells"...................


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Sounds like it's going to be a good one though Rik, even though you'll have to eat it outside!

Jen

The B. Longum seems to be quite a piece of work bacteriorwise. I read a couple of papers on it and seems to be a very dominant bacterior. Could be the culprit.