🧀 Stilton

Stilton is an English cheese with a protected designation of origin (PDO), made from pasteurised cow's milk in the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. According to the product specification it is made in three varieties: White Stilton, Blue Stilton, and Mature or Vintage Blue Stilton.

Making. The milk is full cream, pasteurised and standardised according to season. Starter culture and rennet (animal or non-animal) are added; the curd is cut, the next day cut into small blocks, milled into walnut-sized pieces, salted and put into cylindrical moulds. No pressure is applied: the cheese drains, settles into the drum shape and forms its own crust or coat. For the blue varieties Penicillium roqueforti is added to the milk or sprayed on the curd, and at about six weeks the cheeses are pierced with stainless steel needles so that air reaches the centre and the blue veining develops.

Varieties. White Stilton is white, flaky or crumbly and moist, with a fresh, clean, acidic flavour, and is ready after about seven days. Blue Stilton is typically graded at around six weeks and sold at 6 to 12 weeks, Mature Blue at 10 to 15 weeks and Vintage Blue at more than 15 weeks; the grade depends mainly on flavour and texture. All varieties have at least 48% milk fat in the dry matter.

Stilton or Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Danish blue? Each blue has its own protected name and specification, so they are not interchangeable. Stilton is made only in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire from pasteurised cow's milk, with at least 48% milk fat in the dry matter. The curd is milled, salted and left to drain with no pressure, then pierced around six weeks for the blue veining. Against a Cheddar, the point is that Stilton is not pressed: it forms its own crust.

Look for the word STILTON on the label and the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin). The pack should say which variety it is: White Stilton, Blue Stilton, or Mature or Vintage Blue Stilton. Blue Stilton is usually sold at 6 to 12 weeks, Mature at 10 to 15 and Vintage at over 15. You will find wedges at supermarket cheese counters and delicatessens, often as a drum cut into pieces.

Why it matters to you. The milk comes from dairy herds in the three counties (in times of shortage also from named neighbouring counties) and the cheese is made there. According to the specification, the cheese became known as Stilton because it was first sold to the public at the Bell Inn in the village of Stilton, a coaching stop on the road from London to York. Labels carry the word STILTON.