Cheese Care: The essential part of cheese care is common sense. Farmhouse cheese is a living product that is undergoing continual change. It will continue to mature when it is in your home.

Temperature: Keep the cheese cool. We keep it between 8C and 14C. If it is stored in a fridge (which could be considerably cooler) allow it to warm to room temperature before eating.

Let the cheese breathe: Store the cheese in the wax paper it came in when purchased. Dont cover in cling-film or it will sweat. With a particularly large chunk of Caerphilly (say half a cheese or more) that will be kept a long time, you can cover the cut face (not the entire piece) with cling-film. This stops moisture loss from the cut but allows cheese to breathe through the rind.

Humidity: We carefully control the humidity in our store while the cheese is maturing. If you buy a larger piece of Caerphilly it should be stored in the vegetable tray at the bottom of the fridge where it is less cold. Any vegetables will add to the humidity. It may pay to drape a slightly damp (not wet) tea towel over the top of the cheese. This should stop the cheese from cracking.

Turning: We turn every cheese in our store daily but small pieces don't really need turning. Whole cheeses should be turned weekly to keep the moisture evenly spread through the cheese and prevent cracking.