This is one of the most common questions I am asked by my students, followed by ‘can I salvage it?’ and ‘will it be edible?’ Always err on the side of caution if you find your cheese is not turning out as expected. Sometimes you will have accidentally created something that is marvellous and the problem will be trying to work out what you did ‘wrong’ so you can replicate it. Ugly cheese can taste fantastic, like this brie. It was aged for far too long and when the picture was taken, it was literally melting away. Enzymes had worked on the milk to break down the fat to an almost-liquid form. You can also see the paste has turned a caramel colour from the breakdown of the rind. The white mould (Pencillium candidum) is dying, producing a strong smell of ammonia and the browning you see on the crust. It’s a surprise to a lot of cheesemakers, but this cheese is still perfectly edible. My husband Dave used a soup spoon to ladle up mouthfuls and declared it delicious. Our friend Nadene was far more hesitant, trying part of the paste that was still firm, but she too thought it was a lovely flavour. It was a little too far gone for my taste! It’s not pretty, but it was still perfectly safe to eat at this stage, although only just. One day later and the whole thing was inedible. Early intervention can often save a lot of cheeses, although in the case of this brie, it was just at the point where everything that made it great was coming to an end. But on other kinds of longer-lasting cheeses like parmesan or cheddar, if you see unwanted moulds, cracked opening up, moisture where no moisture should be present, or other issues, it may be possible to save it. There’s a whole chapter in How to Make Cheese on how to troubleshoot issues so you know how to do it better next time, or how to save a cheese before it becomes unsafe or inedible. Here are three examples that I’ve come across recently that show you some of the common errors you may face as a beginner cheesemaker. Mouldy Gouda This very aged wedge of Gouda grew both blue and white moulds in a crack that developed because the cheese dried out. Any large cracks or holes become vulnerable to invading moulds. This cheese can be salvaged Cut off the mould and about 1cm (half an inch) of the surrounding paste, then wrap carefully if you’re in the process of eating it, or wax or vacuum pack it if it’s still ageing.                   Wet Parmesan This baby Parmesan wasn’t turned when it should have been during the drying process. The side facing down was not exposed to the air and so did not get to grow the hard ‘skin’ required. This cheese can be salvaged You can rub some salt on the pale curd area and leave it to dry until it becomes dark yellow like the remainder of the rind. Watch for mould development on the exposed area, then wax it when fully rinded.                     Mould under wax This hard cheese was waxed once it was past the initial curing stage, but it has developed a mould under the wax. Mould requires oxygen to survive so there must have been a tiny area on the cheese that was not waxed. The mould itself was caused by a fingerprint under the wax – always sanitise your hands before handling cheeses. This cheese can be salvaged This is annoying but can be rectified if it hasn’t gone too far. Cut the mouldy area away making sure you get all the mould and rewax. Keep the cheese dry before waxing – wax will not stick to damp cheese. Watch carefully that no more mould develops. If it happens again to the same cheese, discard it as the mould has gone too far inside the cheese.