GB2312368A

GB2312368A - Novelty cheese

Info

Publication number: GB2312368A
Application number: GB9707689A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Riding
Original assignee: SINGLETON S DAIRY Ltd
Current assignee: SINGLETON S DAIRY Ltd
Priority date: 1996-04-25
Filing date: 1997-04-16
Publication date: 1997-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2017-04-16
Also published as: GB9608504D0; GB9707689D0; GB2312368B

Abstract

White Cheshire cheese is located in the base of a mould. That cheese is then firmed down to form an upwardly facing convex region on top of which is located a cut piece of yellow Cheddar. Further grated Cheshire is then added and pushed down before adding the triangular Cheddar nose strip 17 and then adding additional grated Cheshire cheese on to the Cheddar and Cheshire cheese and then adding eye strips 18 of Cheddar cheese and then adding further grated Cheshire cheese. A final layer of Cheddar cheese 19 is then added. The cheese are then compacted and caused to form one cheese by exerting pressure from above.

Description

CHEESE The present invention relates to a cheese and a method of making a cheese.

It is known to make cheese in an elongate rectangular or cylindrical shape from which slices are taken that present a pattern of differing types of cheese.

In one prior method of making such a cheese one elongate rectangular slice of one type of cheese is placed upon another similar shaped different cheese to form an elongate shape. When slices are taken the top part of the slice has one type of cheese and the lower part has the other type of cheese.

In another known method one elongate slab of cheese is placed on a different similarly shaped slab of cheese and the two are rolled up about the elongate axis to form a cylinder. When slices are cut the pattern presented by the different cheese is spiral.

Both of the known differing patterns of cheese are severely restricted in the patterns that can be provided.

According to one aspect of the present invention a cheese includes a plurality of discernible chose products in which at least part of the cheese comprises one discernible cheese product that has been added in separate pieces.

The separate pieces may comprise small pieces or crumbs and may comprise grated or cut cheese.

The separate piece may be spaced from each other, for instance by another discernible cheese product.

The separate pieces may be connected to each other or connected to other cheese products, for instance by pressure having been exerted either during or after assembly of the cheese products or both.

The cheese may include cheese products comprising pieces, such as large pieces, that may be cut or extruded and those cheese products may comprise the whole portion of a discernible cheese and those cut or extruded cheese products may comprise substantially the whole of the cheese.

One of the discernible cheese products may be surrounded by another discernible cheese product. There may be a plurality of one type of discernible cheese product in the cheese.

One of the discernible cheese products may be configured to assist in the location of another discernible cheese product.

The cheese products may be discernible by being of a different type or, alternatively or additionally, of a different colour.

The cheese may include a pattern extending substantially along one extent of the cheese with that pattern being substantially constant in a direction transverse to that extent.

The cheese may comprise an elongate cheese for instance of rectangular cross-section.

According to a further aspect of the present invention a method of making a cheese comprises assembling a plurality of discernible cheese products with part of a discernible cheese product being assembled in separate pieces.

The separate pieces of the cheese product may be added by adding small pieces or crumbs to the cheese and the separate pieces may be grated or cut prior to adding to the cheese.

The method may comprise moulding the separate pieces during the assembly of the cheese, for instance by manually moulding the separate pieces.

The method may comprise connecting the cheese products together, for instance by pressure, either during or after assembly of the cheese.

The method may comprise adding one type of discernible cheese in the form of a cut or extruded piece or pieces and which piece or pieces may comprise the whole of that portion of discernible cheese, and which piece or pieces may be spaced from each other.

The method may comprise moulding separate pieces of one discernible cheese and then adding a large piece of a different discernible cheese into a suitably shaped receiving area and then further separate pieces may be added. The method may comprise locating one discernible cheese product in a shaped region of another discernible cheese product.

The method may comprise exerting pressure on the finished cheese in order to assist in the retention of the cheese products together or, alternatively or additionally, in order to compact or firm the cheese.

The method may comprise assembling the cheese by having one discernible cheese product surrounded by another.

The method may comprise assembling discernible cheese products with those products being of a different type or, alternatively or additionally, a different colour.

The method may comprise a method of making an elongate cheese in which the discernible cheese products are of a substantially uniform pattern in a direction perpendicular to the elongate extent.

The present invention also includes a method of making a cheese when the cheese is as herein referred to.

The present invention includes any combination of the herein referred to features or limitations.

The present invention may be carried into practice in various ways but one embodiment will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a mould 10 for cheese during the build up of a cheese block; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a cheese block 11 that has been taken from the finished mould; Figure 3 is a schematic front view of cheese layers shown separate from each other that are to be built into a cheese block, and Figure 4 is a front view of the layers of Figure 5 assembled into a block.

As shown in Figure 1, chopped or grated cheese 12 is located in the base 13 of the mould. This cheese may be white Cheshire cheese, for instance. The chopped or grated cheese may be in pieces of less than 8 mm3 or less than 4 mm3 or less than 2 mm3 or less than 1 mm3. The chopped cheese is located such that, along the length of the mould 10, the cheese has a greater depth at each side 14 than along the middle of the base 13.

The chopped cheese can then be firmed down, for instance by hand or by machine, to form an upwardly facing central convex region. Alternatively the cheese can be left loosely located in the base of the mould.

An elongate slice of yellow Cheddar 15 of less width than the mould but of equal length is then cut and is bent around its elongate extent to present a downwardly facing convex surface 16 and the Cheddar is then laid on top of the chopped Cheshire cheese. The Cheddar 15 can be pushed down to bind it into the Cheshire cheese and to compact the Cheshire cheese, if desired. Although the Cheddar cheese is described as being cut it will be appreciated that any or all of the shapes of Cheddar cheese may be extruded or moulded.

Then more chopped Cheshire cheese is laid on top of the exposed Cheddar and Cheshire cheese until the Cheshire cheese is covered to a depth that allows for an elongate strip 17 of Cheddar cheese of triangular cross-section to be laid centrally above the Cheddar 15, as shown in Figure 2. Then further chopped Cheshire cheese is laid around the strip 17 and moulded until there is sufficient depth to allow two further elongate Cheddar strips 18 of round section to be placed parallel to each other and to either side of the triangular strip 17 with each strip 18 having an extent above the height of the strip 17 and also an extent at the same elevation as the strip 17.

More chopped Cheshire cheese is then added and moulded until a final elongate layer 19 of Cheddar cheese is added having a flat upwardly facing surface 20 defining the top of the mould and a downwardly facing undulating surface 21. That surface 21 may undulate along the length of the mould and also across the width of the mould. The layer 19 may be located in the mould in a chopped or grated form or in the form of a pre-shaped layer.

The cheeses in the mould can then be compressed, if desired, in order to further compact the mould and to bind the layers and the chopped cheese together. The cheese is then removed from the mould.

When a slice 22 is taken from the elongate cheese the different colours of the Cheshire and Cheddar cheese form a pattern of a face having a mouth 15, nose 17, eyes 18 and hair 19.

Figures 3 and 4 shows a mouth 15, nose 17 and eyes 18, each of which comprises an elongate cut or extruded layer of cheese, which may all be the same type of cheese such as Cheddar and which may be of the same colours or of different colours or any combination thereof.

The cheese also includes layers 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 that are formed from cut or extruded length of cheese.

These layers may also be of the same cheese such as Cheshire cheese which may be of the same colour or of different cheese of different colours.

The layer 23 is first located in a mould. The layer includes a recess 28 on top of which the mouth 15 is laid with the top edges 29 of the mouth being flush with the top of the layer 23.

Then the layer 24 is placed on top with an elongate downwardly extending protrusion 30 locating in the upwardly facing recess 31 of the tongue.

Next comes the nose 17 which sits partially in, and is thereby accurately locate in an elongate channel 32 of the layer 24. Then the layer 25 is placed on top with a downwardly facing elongate V-shaped slot 33 locating over the nose.

Then the eyes 19 are located on top of arcuate channels 34 (which are not quite semi-circular) of the layer 25 before the layer 26 is put in place with downwardly facing arcuate channels 35 aligning with the elongate eyes 18. Finally the upper "hair" layer 27 is provided.

The layers may take up the required shape on laying.

The layers may be compacted or pushed together in order to form a single cheese with adjacent layers being reluctant to separate.

It will be appreciated that, although the mould is described as being elongate the present invention would be equally applicable to cheeses having a shorter extent from the front to back than from side to side. Similarly, although a mould of rectangular cross-section has been described the present invention could be applied to moulds of other cross-section such as round moulds or even moulds of non uniform cross-section such as spherical moulds. It will also be appreciated that although contrasting types and colours of cheeses have been described, cheeses of different texture or the same cheese in contrasting colours could be used in order to provide the differentiation.

It can be seen that any pattern could be built up so as to include, for example, the pattern of a flag. The cheese may be in the region of 1 m long, or less than 1 m or less than 0.5 m or less than 0.3 m long. The width of the cheese or, alternatively or additionally the height of the cheese may be in the region of 15 cm or less than 15 cm or less than 10 cm or less than 5 cm.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A cheese including a plurality of discernible cheese products in which at least part of the cheese comprises one discernible cheese product that has been added in separate pieces.

2. A cheese as claimed in Claim 1 in which the separate pieces comprise small pieces.

3. A cheese as claimed in Claim 2 in which the small pieces comprise crumbs.

4. A cheese as claimed in Claim 2 in which the small pieces comprise grated cheese.

5. A cheese as claimed in Claim 2 in which the small pieces comprise cut cheese.

6. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which the separate pieces are spaced from each other.

7. A cheese as claimed in Claim 6 in which the separate pieces are spaced from each other by another discernible cheese product.

8. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which the separate pieces are connected to each other.

9. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which the separate pieces are connected to other discernible cheese products.

10. A cheese as claimed in Claim 8 or 9 in which the separate pieces are connected to each other by pressure having been exerted during assembly of the cheese products.

11. A cheese as claimed in any of Claims 8 to 10 in which the separate pieces are connected to each other by pressure having been applied after assembly of the cheese products.

12. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim including cheese products comprising pieces that have been cut.

13. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim including cheese products comprising pieces that have been extruded.

14. A cheese as claimed in Claim 12 or 13 in which the cheese products that have been cut or extruded comprise the whole portion of a discernible cheese.

15. A cheese as claimed in any of Claims 12 to 14 in which the cheese includes cheese products comprising large pieces.

16. A cheese as claimed in Claim 12 or 13, or Claims 14 or 15 when dependent upon Claims 12 or 13 in which cut or extruded cheese products comprise substantially the whole of the cheese.

17. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which one of the discernible cheese products is surrounded by another discernible cheese product.

18. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which there are a plurality of one type of discernible cheese product in the cheese.

19. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which one of the discernible cheese products is configured to assist in the location of another discernible cheese product.

20. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which the cheese products are discernible by being of a different type of cheese.

21. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim in which the cheese products are discernible by being of a different colour.

22. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim including a pattern extending substantially along one extent of the cheese with that pattern being substantially constant in a direction transverse to that extent.

23. A cheese as claimed in any preceding claim comprising an elongate cheese.

24. A cheese as claimed in Claim 22 or 23 comprising a cheese of rectangular cross-section.

25. A cheese substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

26. A method of making a cheese comprising assembling a plurality of discernible cheese products with part of a discernible cheese product being assembled in separate pieces.

27. A method as claimed in Claim 26 in which the separate pieces of the cheese product are added by adding small pieces of cheese.

28. A method as claimed in Claim 26 or 27 in which the separate pieces of the cheese product are added by adding crumbs to the cheese.

29. A method as claimed in Claim 27 or 28 comprising adding grated cheese.

30. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 29 comprising moulding the separate pieces during the assembly of the cheese.

31. A method as claimed in Claim 30 comprising manually moulding the separate pieces.

32. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 31 comprising connecting the cheese products together.

33. A method as claimed in Claim 32 comprising connecting the cheese products together by pressure.

34. A method as claimed in Claim 32 or 33 comprising connecting the cheese products during assembly of the cheese.

35. A method as claimed in either of Claims 32 or 33 comprising connecting the cheese products after assembly of the cheese.

36. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 35 comprising adding one type of discernible cheese product that has been cut.

37. A method as claimed in Claim 36 in which the one type of discernible cheese that has been added in pieces comprises the whole of that portion of discernible cheese.

38. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 37 in which one type of discernible cheese that has been added in pieces has been added with those pieces being spaced from each other.

39. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 38 comprising moulding the separate pieces and then adding a large piece into a suitably shaped receiving area and then adding further separate pieces.

40. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 39 comprising locating one discernible cheese product in a shaped region of another discernible cheese product.

41. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 40 comprising exerting pressure on the finished cheese in order to assist in retention of the cheese products together.

42. A method as claimed in Claim 41 comprising exerting pressure on the finished cheese in order to compact or firm the cheese.

43. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 42 comprising assembling the cheese by having one discernible cheese product surrounded by another.

44. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 43 comprising assembling discernible cheese products with those products being of a different type.

45. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 44 comprising the discernible cheese products being of a different colour.

46. A method as claimed in any of Claims 26 to 45 comprising making an elongate cheese in which the discernible cheese products are of a substantially uniform pattern in a direction transverse to the elongate extent.

47. A method of making a cheese substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in any of Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

48. A method making a cheese when the cheese is substantially as herein described with reference to any of Claims 1 to 25.