All cheddar, regardless of aging style, starts in the same way. Cheese makers heat milk before adding starter culture and rennet and allowing curd to form. Once the curd has been cut into pieces and those curds have settled, the whey is then poured off and the curds are allowed to drain in cheesecloth.

As the curds drain, they begin to knit together into a solid mass. This mass is sliced into smaller loaves and stacked on top of one another. The weight of these curd towers helps to drain off whey from the curds.

After repeating this stacking process (called cheddaring) several times over, the loaves form a long, dense curd structure. These loaves are broken back to curd form by hand or by machine, then salted and pressed to whatever shape the cheese maker desires - though traditional clothbound cheddars are usually formed as a wheel.

After the shape has set, the wheel is coated in some type of fat (typically lard) and wrapped in cotton cloth before being aged in a cool, humidity-controlled environment. The aging process can last anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on personal taste.

By the time the aging process is complete, bacteria have completely consumed the lard coating, leaving a flavourful rind in its place once the cloth is removed.