The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened

TO MAKE SLIPP COAT CHEESE According to the bigness of your moulds proportion your stroakings for your Cheese-curds. To six quarts of stroakings, take a pint of Springwater : if the weather be hot, then let the water be cold, and before you put it into the stroakings, let them stand a while to cool after they are milked, and then put in the water with a little Salt first stirred in it : and having stirred it well together, let it stand a little while, and then put in about two good spoonfulsof Runnet, stir it well together, and cover it with a fair linnen-cloth, and when it is become hard like a thick jelly, with a skimming-dish lay it gently into the moulds, and as it sinks down into the moulds, fill it still up again, till all be in, which will require some three or four hours time. Then lay a clean fine cloth into another mould of the same cise, and turn it into it, and then turn the skirts of the cloth over it, and lay upon that a thin board, and upon that as much weight, as with the board may make two pound or thereabouts. And about an hour after, lay another clean cloth into the other mould, and turn the Cheese into that ; then lay upon the board so much, as will make it six or seven pound weight ; and thus continue turning of it till night : then take away the weight, and lay it no more on it ; then take a very small quantity of Salt finely beaten, and sprinkle the Cheese all over with it as lightly as can be imagined. Next morning turn it into another dry cloth, and let it lye out of the mould upon a plain board, and change it as often as it wets the cloth, which must be three or four times a day : when it is so dry, that it wets the cloth no more, lay it upon a bed of green-rushes, and lay a row upon it ; but be sure to pick the bents clean off, and lay them even all one way : if you cannot get good rushes, take nettles or grass. If the weather is cold, cover them with a linnen and woollen cloth ; in case you cannot get stroakings, take five quarts of new Milk, and one of Cream. If the weather be cold, heat the water that you put to the stroakings. Turn the Cheese every day, and put to it fresh of whatsoever you keep it in. They are usually ripe in ten days. TO MAKE SLIPP-COAT-CHEESE Master Phillips his Method and proportions in making slippe-coat Cheese, are these. Take six wine quartsof stroakings, and twoquartsof Cream; mingle these well together, and let them stand in a bowl, till they are cold. Then pour upon them three pints of boiling fair water, and mingle them well together ; then let them stand, till they are almost cold, colder then milk-warm. Then put to it a moderate quantity of Runnet, made with fair water (not whey, or any other thing then water ; this is an important point), and let it stand till it come. Have a care not to break the Curds, nor ever to touch them with your hands, but only with your skimming dish. In due time lade the Curds with the dish, into a thin fine Napkin, held up