To Pot Cheshire Cheese
From the treasured pages of Cookbook compiled in Camberwell, Surrey
Unknown Author
To Pot Cheshire Cheese
"take three pound of Cheshire Chees and put it into a morter with half a pound of the Best Butter you can git pound them together- and in the beating add a gill of rich canary wine and half and ounce of mace finely beat and sifted Like pouder when all is extremly well mixed press it hard down into a gallepot Cover it with clarified butterr- and Keep it Cool a slice of this exceeds all the Cream Chees that can be made"
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is brief and practical, reflecting the domestic manuscript style of the late Georgian and early Regency periods. Punctuation is minimal, and spelling follows 18th-century conventions (‘morter’ for 'mortar', ‘gallepot’ for 'gallipot'). Older terms like 'canary wine' refer to a sweet wine once imported from the Canary Islands. Weights and measures are given in pounds and ounces, and ‘gill’ as a liquid measure (about 120 ml). Instructions focus on process, expecting the reader to have foundational kitchen skills and a sense of intuition. The recipe assumes the cook understands clarification and sealing with butter to preserve.
Title
Cookbook compiled in Camberwell, Surrey (1800)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1800
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A charming manuscript cookbook from Camberwell, Surrey, this culinary treasure features 190 recipes penned between 1770 and 1772—ranging from recreated classics à la Hannah Glasse to secret family creations—all representing the finest traditions of British cookery. An additional section, hand-written by various scribes in the early 19th century, continues the journey through British gastronomy, making this a delicious window into past kitchens.
Kindly made available by
Penn State University Libraries
This delicious recipe comes from an English manuscript cookbook first compiled in Camberwell, Surrey, around 1770–1772, with added notes and edits in the early 1800s. The collection drew from both published sources, like Hannah Glasse, and family traditions. The method captures the love of preserving rich cheeses at a time before mechanized refrigeration and commercial processed spreads. Cheese-pots like this were popular among the British gentry, serving as a luxurious snack or supper. The potting technique, layering with clarified butter, was essential for extending the shelf-life of dairy in an era of limited preservation.
In the 18th century kitchen, the cheese and butter would have been pounded together using a large sturdy mortar and pestle, often made of marble or wood. The clarified butter would be melted in a small saucepan over a hearth fire, strained carefully, and poured over the mixture to create an air-tight seal. The prepared spread would have been pressed into a glazed earthenware 'gallypot' or lidded ceramic jar. Knives, wooden spoons, or spatulas would be used for packing and smoothing the surface, and everything stored in a cool dairy larder.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Servings
12
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 3 lb Cheshire cheese (substitute: sharp aged white cheddar if unavailable)
- 8 oz unsalted high-quality butter
- 4 fl oz sweet fortified wine (canary wine, substitute: madeira or sweet sherry)
- 0.5 oz ground mace
- Additional butter, for clarifying and sealing
Instructions
- Begin by crumbling 3 lb of Cheshire cheese into a large mixing bowl or mortar.
- Add 8 oz of high-quality unsalted butter.
- Pound or mix the two together thoroughly.
- Gradually pour in 4 fl oz of sweet fortified wine, such as canary wine (substitute with Madeira or a good quality sweet sherry), mixing continuously until everything is smooth and creamy.
- Add 0.5 oz of ground mace, freshly ground if possible, and mix again until well combined.
- Press this cheese mixture firmly into a clean glass jar or a ceramic pot, smoothing the surface.
- Melt a little extra butter to clarify it, then pour a thin layer of this over the cheese to seal it.
- Let the mixture cool fully and store in a cool place.
- Serve it in thin slices with bread or crackers.
Estimated Calories
450 per serving
Cooking Estimates
You will spend about 20 minutes preparing and mixing the ingredients. There is no actual cooking, only melting some butter for sealing, which takes a few minutes. Each serving has about 450 calories, and the recipe makes 12 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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