Chèvre Recipe
Chèvre Blanc – The Beginner’s Guide to Making Fancy Goat Cheese Without Losing Your Mind
If you’ve ever looked at a slice of white‑mould goat cheese and thought, “Blimey, that looks posh,” don’t worry — you’re about to make it in your own kitchen, probably still wearing slippers.
Chèvre Blanc is the kind of cheese that pretends it’s French royalty but is actually very forgiving. It doesn’t judge your equipment, your kitchen, or the fact that your measuring spoon went missing in 2019.
Let’s begin.
What You’re Making
A soft, creamy goat cheese with a beautiful white mould rind. Think: Brie’s slimmer, sassier cousin who shops at farmers’ markets and says things like “I only eat artisanal crackers.”
Ingredients
4 litres fresh goat’s milk (the good stuff — not the “tastes like a barn” kind)
Mesophilic starter culture
Penicillium Candidum (your white mould magic)
A bit of patience and a sense of humour
Equipment
A pot big enough to make you feel like a medieval soup witch
Thermometer (don’t worry, it’s not rocket science)
Cheese moulds (the plastic ones, not the ones growing behind your fridge)
Draining mat
A clean tea towel (preferably not the one your dog stole)
Let’s Make Cheese
1. Warm the Milk
Heat your goat’s milk gently to 22–24°C. Warm, not hot. If it feels like a cosy bath for a tiny mouse, you’re spot on.
2. Add the Starter Culture
Sprinkle your mesophilic culture over the milk like you’re seasoning chips. Let it hydrate for a minute, then stir it in.
This is where the milk starts thinking, “Hmm… I might become cheese today.”
3. Add Penicillium Candidum
A tiny pinch or a few drops — depending on your format. This is the stuff that gives your cheese its elegant white coat, like it’s off to a winter ball.
4. Add Rennet
Add the correct amount of rennet and stir gently. Now leave the milk alone for 12–18 hours.
This is the part where you pretend you’re patient.
5. Scoop the Curd
By morning, the milk should look like a soft yoghurt. Scoop it gently into your moulds. No stabbing, no whisking — treat it like a sleepy cat.
6. Drain
Let gravity do the work. Flip the cheese after a few hours. Salt lightly once it firms up.
7. The White Mould Magic
Place your cheeses in a cool, humid spot. Over the next 5–10 days, the Penicillium Candidum will grow a lovely white coat.
It starts slowly — like your cheese is trying to grow a beard. Then suddenly it blossoms into a full, fluffy jacket.
8. Ripen
Move the cheese to a slightly cooler place and let it mature for another 1–2 weeks.
Taste at any stage. You’re the cheesemaker — you’re allowed to nibble.
What You End Up With
A soft, creamy, slightly tangy goat cheese wrapped in a delicate white mould rind. Perfect with crusty bread, honey, or that fancy jam you bought during a moment of weakness.
If you’re inspired to make cheese at home, we offer rennet, starter cultures, moulds, and cheese‑making essentials — shipped across the UK and internationally. Perfect for beginners, hobbyists, and artisan makers alike.