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Although
we make smaller quantities of White Stilton and Shropshire Blue it is our Blue Stilton for which
we are most well known.
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History
Stilton
was first recognised as a type of cheese at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
It took its name from the village of Stilton, just south of Peterborough on the
Great North Road, where the landlord at the Bell Inn sold his sister-in-law's
cheese, made near Melton Mowbray, to coach travellers. The cheese was never made
in Stilton and even today, protected by a certification trademark,
it can only be made in the three adjacent counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire
and Leicestershire.
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Serving
Smooth and creamy with distinctive blue veins which become more strongly
defined as the cheese matures, Blue Stilton has deep and complex flavours enjoyed
by cheese lovers worldwide. An excellent dessert cheese it is traditionally popular
at Christmas, however it is also a wonderful cheese to enjoy at anytime of the
year. For recipe ideas visit www.stiltoncheese.com and click on the relevant links.
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Keeping
Stilton is best kept in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in film to stop the
cheese drying out. However it is best to remove the cheese from the refrigerator
a couple of hours before eating., loosen the wrapping and let the cheese warm
to room temperature. This improves both texture and flavour. Stilton can be frozen
if you find you have too much. It should slowly be thawed in the refrigerator
overnight.
How We Make Blue Stilton
It
takes around 16 gallons (imp.) or 72 litres of fresh milk to produce one 16lb
(7.5kg) Stilton Cheese.
 | | Curds
and Whey
After arriving daily from local farms the milk is pasteurised to kill harmful
bacteria, then cooled to 30°C before going to the cheese vats. Once in the
vat, starter and blue mould culture (Penicillium roqueforti) are added. Rennet is added in order to set the milk. |
| After setting, the curd is cut up using first vertically bladed knives, and
then by horizontally bladed knives until the curd particles are about the size
of a haricot bean.
The
curd then settles to the bottom of the vat over the next several hours, and the
whey separates to the top. In
the afternoon the whey is drained off, leaving an exposed mat of curd. This is
then ladled by hand from the vats into curd trays at the side.
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Mixing,
Moulding and Turning
Here it remains until the following morning, when it is milled, salted, mixed
thoroughly by hand, and placed into hoops (or cheese moulds). The process thus
far has taken 24 hours.
The curd then drains in the hoop under its own weight
for 5 further days. The hoops are turned over daily to facilitate drainage.
 | | "Rubbing"
the cheese
After about 5 days, the curd has drained and is solid
enough for the hoop to be removed. The rough surface is now smoothed using an
ordinary kitchen knife to seal the surface. The cheeses now go to the New Cheese
room where they stay for a further twenty days, turned daily, while the coat dries.
Now the cheeses can be taken to the maturing stores. | Maturing,
Piercing and Grading
In the maturing stores the cheeses are turned three times each week until sold.
At the age of around four to six weeks, the cheeses are pierced using a piercing machine.
This pushes stainless steel needles into the cheese all around its circumference.
Once the air enters the holes, the Penicillium roquefortii which has thus far
been dormant, can now start to grow, forming as it does the typical veins associated
with Stilton cheese.
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second piercing takes place one week later.Three weeks or so after second piercing
the cheeses are ready for grading prior to sale. A cheese iron is used to bore
into the cheese and remove a plug which can be assessed for level of blue veining,
and so the smell and flavour can be checked. This is done to every cheese because
only when a cheese reaches the required standard can it be called Stilton cheese.
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White
Stilton
A
fresh-flavoured, younger cheese of a quite different character to Blue Stilton.
White Stilton has a shelf-life of one week from packing.
Shropshire
Blue
A
creamy blue veined cheese with a distinctive orange body and milder flavour than
Blue Stilton, the cheese has a deep orange-brown, natural rind. Shropshire Blue
matures for a period of six to eight weeks. |
Certification
Trade
Mark | | Stilton
is rare in being protected by a trademark. Both the word Stilton and the Stilton
Cheese Makers Association logo are certification trademarks. Recently, Stilton
had also been registered as a Product of Designated Origin (or PDO) in the European
Community. All these protections mean that the product can only be manufactured
by licensed manufacturers in the three counties of Nottinghmashire, Leicestershire
and Derbyshire. All manufacturers are independently inspected to guarantee that
the cheese conforms to type. | | | |
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