All about goats and cheese making at Carsphairn SWI
Melissa Ade, Vice President welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were recorded. The minutes of the April 2024 meeting had been previously circulated and these were approved and signed. Nancy White gave an update on the finances before moving on to other business. Arrangements for the Summer Outing to Culzean Castle and Country Park were refined.
Members gave a short report on the recent Rural Ramble at Kirkpatrick Durham and the Line Dancing which took place in Castle Douglas. Further arrangements were made for the Carsphairn Rural Ramble to the Woodhead Lead Mines on 11th August 2024.
All about goats and cheese making
Melissa introduced Irene McCreath who along with her daughter Naomi had brought along four very special visitors. Members were invited to go outside where they were introduced to Fleur, Alex, Penelope and George.
These were one nanny and three kid British Toggenburg Type and English Goats. Irene told members all about them. Some members helped to milk Fleur who was very patient and happy to munch on some food while this was happening.
Little George, Alex and Penelope were very enthusiastic when members offered them a bottle and did not take long to finish off their supper. Everyone, apart from the guests of honour went back into the hall. Irene went on to give a very informative and fascinating talk about how her mother had at one time over one hundred goats and had been heavily involved in producing high quality cheeses which had been distributed far and wide.
Irene inherited two goats and now has sixty-one and a name for each and every one. Irene took members through the steps of making cheeses and displayed different equipment needed. There was also a range of books with recipes and information for everyone to look at. Irene had made paneer cheese that morning which everyone was invited to taste.
Everyone then moved to the kitchen to see how goats’ milk and cows’ milk is heated with lemon juice or vinegar added, strained through cheese cloth and ready for the next steps to become paneer, cottage or cream cheeses.
Along the way Irene and Naomi answered many questions and provided lots of additional information. She mentioned that her husband Billy was away on the set of a popular TV show that day as he has been throughout the making of the programmes with sheep, goats, pigs, ducks and chickens to name a few of the stars he has taken and supported at different times.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed learning about goats and cheese making through all the different steps and were happy to have met Fleur, Alex, George and Penelope.
Welcome refreshments were provided by Betty and Lavinia with thanks to Maggie for emergency milk! Irene and Naomi kindly judged the competitions with the results as follows:-
Cheese cake (individual) 1. Isobel Cuthbertson.
Goat poem 1. Sheila Hey 2. Christine Whipp 3. Nancy White.
Flower of the Month 1. Susie Seed 2. Judith Marsden 3. Melissa Ade.
The raffle was drawn and Melissa thanked Betty and Lavinia for providing the refreshments. She also thanked Irene for providing such a varied and fascinating input with her goats. Everyone showed their appreciation of the evening and headed home having shared a really different type of meeting and much enlightened about goats and cheese making.