Roman Cheese Press

Details

Based on one example on display in the splendid British Museum,  the cheese press would have been a must have kitchen gadget for every good Roman cook.  Cheese was a very popular food stuff for the Romans with many varieties being produces from soft cheeses, similar to cottage cheese, to hard smoked cheeses.

Although it is not clear the exact date when cheese was invented it has formed part of our diet for decades and the details of Roman cheese making was described in detail by the Roman writer Columella when he wrote De Re Rustica 

 For more details on exactly how to use this cheese press we recommend you look at the work of renowned food historian, award winning blogger and maker of delicious things, Farrell Monaco. Get her Roman Cheese Recipe here 

We know of cheese presses making up part of the collections at Vindolanda Museum and Wrexham Museum, but they are so ubiquitous that we would expect them to be in any museum that holds a Roman collection. 

Production

This replica Roman pot has been thrown on a potters wheel and hand-finished in Northumberland by Potted History and is based on an original artefact.  It has been fired to replicate the original firing method to a temperature of between 800 & 1000 Centigrade. This process often results in variations of the surface colour and texture, emulating original Roman Pottery and giving each pot its unique character.

 Materials

Terracotta clay

Dimensions

Approx. 40 mm tall, 140 mm diameter

 Health & Safety

This is a Museum Quality Replica made using the tools and techniques that would have been used during the Roman era.  As this is an unglazed pot with a porous surface, it will absorb some of the flavours of the food being stored or served, which does add to the flavour of future dishes. However, it also means that this pot does not meet modern Health and Safety standards, and therefore we do not advise that it is used for storing or serving food.  When the Romans used these vessels, they would rely on applying sufficient heat to the cooking pot and its contents to ensure that all bacteria were killed. Heating to over 70°C for at least 10 minutes would have killed most disease-causing bacteria, and temperatures of 100°C would do even more. 

Postage
All items are sent using a second class postal service. If you wish to have an item sent first class, please get in touch with us for a quote. Many Thanks