Despite increased mechanisation and automation of cheese production, traditional cheesemaking still flourishes in many farmhouse dairies across the British Isles and Europe. Here individual craftsmen and women apply their skills, knowledge and experience to work with the natural raw materials they find available to make cheese of exceptional quality, character and finesse.

The creation of a cheese starts in the pastures where the cow, goat, sheep or buffalo feeds. Good cheese needs good milk and good milk needs good pastures. Climate and soil type have a direct influence on the properties of a cheese. The character and quality of cheese, as wine, depends very much on the region where the animals graze and how those animals are reared. A good cheesemaker will respect his animals and local conditions, and work to produce cheese that makes the most of his resources. So we see different regions become recognised for particular cheese types.

Moving into the diary, cheesemaking itself begins with the coagulation of milk. A starter culture of "friendly bacteria" is added to the raw milk to help develop and control acidity throughout the . The milk is then left for a period during which the milk increases in acidity before rennet is mixed in. After a few minutes, the material is left to solidify and form "junket", a suspension of the curds and whey which must be left unstirred.

Hard cheeses then need extra work to remove moisture from the whey which give the cheese a much firmer texture.

The set coagulum is cut with specially designed knives into small pieces of curd which has the effect of releasing the whey. Most of the protein, fat, vitamin A and much of the calcium in the milk remain in the curd, while a large part of the lactose and B vitamins are lost in the whey as it drains away. Deciding when to cut the set coagulum is one of the most important decisions to be made in cheese making. Cut too soon and the soft curd is easily broken, leading to a loss of fat and casein to the whey. Cut too late and the curd is too firm and difficult to cut into small pieces and moisture will be trapped within it giving the cheese a moister texture.

The size of pieces of curd varies with different types of cheese. Hard, dryer cheeses, e.g. cheddar, have the curd cut to the size of wheat grains. Moister cheeses, e.g. Caerphilly have their cheeses cut to the size of a cherry while some cheeses such as Camembert are not cut at all. The curds are gently ladled into moulds so as to prevent the loss of moisture, giving rise to the creaminess of these particular cheeses.

The curds may then be scalded with heat causing even more moisture to be squeezed out. Cheeses which are scalded at higher temperatures, for example Parmesan, become harder than those that have been scalded at lower temperatures like Gloucester. Soft cheeses are not scalded. After scalding, the curds are stirred for anything up to an hour, during which time the curds continue to lose moisture and become firmer and dryer. Once the cubes of curd have gained the desired level of acidity and texture, stirring is stopped, leaving the curds to sink to the bottom and the whey drawn off the mixture.

Breaking, piling and turning the curds then takes place to further break down the particle size, releasing still more moisture. The more the curds are handled, the quicker they cool which limits the development of acidity in the cheese. For very hard cheeses, the curds are milled to create very small pieces.

Salt is then mixed into the remaining, now almost dry curds, which has the effect of:
1) improving the flavour, body, texture and keeping quality of the cheese
2) aiding the removal of whey
3) controlling the growth of micro organisms

The curds are then placed into moulds, sometimes with bandages applied which will give each cheese its own distinctive form. Harder cheeses are pressed in their moulds to expel any remaining whey and trapped air.

Traditional cheeses, other than fresh or unripened cheeses need a period of time to develop their full flavour, texture, aroma and their characteristic appearance. They are carefully attended by an "affineur" until they are ready for eating.

The affineur will constantly check the cheese in his cellar to assess the its development. Every cheese matures in its own way. One may be at its best soon after production, and some may need many months or years to reach its peak. Generally, the higher the moisture content of a cheese, the faster it matures.