🧀 Buxton blue

Buxton blue is an English blue-veined cheese made from pasteurised cow's milk and protected as a PDO (registered in the EU on 21 June 1996, file PDO-GB-0287; on the UK register since 2020). The specification describes it as a coloured cheese with an even russet colour and evenly dispersed blue veins. ³

How it is made. The recipe is whole milk with a little whey cream, starter culture, coagulant, mould spores, salt and the colour annatto (E160b). Most of the milk comes from cows grazed in Derbyshire, particularly within 15 miles of Buxton; milk from Shropshire and Cheshire may be brought in when local supply falls short. The cheese is a cylinder weighing about 8 kg (7.5 to 8.5 kg), about 200 mm across and 190 to 220 mm high, and is matured at 8 to 14 °C. ³

Texture and taste. The body is close-textured and smooth, becoming softer and smoother as the cheese matures. The flavour is mellow and creamy with the characteristic tang of blue cheese, free from harsh, bitter or fruity flavours. At despatch moisture is at most 48% and fat in the dry matter at least 48%. It is normally despatched 4 to 10 weeks after manufacture. ³

Area. The specification gives the geographical area as a 30-mile radius of Buxton. ³

Why it is orange. Annatto (E160b), a colour added at about 0.03 %, gives the even russet shade, so the colour says nothing about ripeness or strength. The cheese is covered in cloth while it matures, which stops a coat forming and keeps the outside clean. ³

Limestone and a creamery. The specification describes a high limestone area with thin soil and heavy rain. Cows graze it in summer and eat grass conserved from the same pastures in winter, which keeps the milk consistent. The Hartington creamery opened in the 1870s and began making Stilton in 1886. ³

Who makes it today. The specification names Dairy Crest at Hartington Creamery. A food reference says Staffordshire Cheese Company has been the sole maker since 2017, while the Hartington Creamery site also lists the cheese. The sources disagree and we have no final answer. ³⁴⁵

Buxton blue or another blue cheese? The name also brings up paint colours and a garden flower in searches, but the cheese is a PDO with its own rulebook. It is made from pasteurised cow's milk and coloured with annatto, which gives the even russet shade, so colour says nothing about strength. The taste is mellow and creamy with the characteristic tang of blue cheese, free from harsh, bitter or fruity flavours. It is despatched 4 to 10 weeks after manufacture and its texture is close and smooth, becoming softer with age.

Look for the name Buxton Blue with the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin); the mark matters more than the maker's name, because sources disagree on who makes it. The cheese is a cylinder of about 8 kg with an even russet colour and blue veins, and its cloth covering during maturing keeps the outside clean. You will find it as wedges at a supermarket cheese counter, a delicatessen or a specialist cheese shop.

Why it matters to you. The PDO name Buxton Blue means a pasteurised cow's milk blue cheese made in this area to the specification. It is firmly on the rich side: the specification lists about 429 kcal, 35 g of fat and 26 g of protein per 100 g, with salt around 1.5 %. It also calls the cheese suitable for vegetarians and made with pasteurised milk. Go by the PDO mark rather than the maker's name. ³