Blue stilton

Stilton is a cheese of England. It is produced in two varieties: the well-known blue and the lesser-known white. Both have been granted the status of a protected designation of origin by the European Commission. Only cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire – and made according to a strict code – may be called "Stilton".

The pioneer of blue Stilton was Cooper Thornhill, owner of the Bell Inn on the Great North Road, in the village of Stilton. In 1730, Thornhill discovered a distinctive blue cheese while visiting a small farm near Melton Mowbray in rural Leicestershire - possibly Quenby Hall in Hungarton. fell in love with the cheese and made a business arrangement that granted the Bell Inn exclusive marketing rights to Stilton. Soon thereafter, wagon loads of cheese were being delivered to the inn. Since the main stagecoach routes from London to Northern England passed through the village of Stilton he was able to promote the sale of this cheese and the legend of Stilton rapidly spread.
In 1936 the Stilton Cheesemakers' Association was formed to lobby for regulation to protect the quality and origin of the cheese, and in 1966 Stilton was granted legal protection via a certification trademark, the only British cheese to have received this status.
Oddly, Stilton cheese cannot legally be made in the village that gave the cheese its name. Stilton cheese was never made in the village of Stilton. Stilton village is in the administrative county of Cambridgeshire, and in the historic county of Huntingdonshire.

To be called blue Stilton, a cheese must:
Be made only in the three counties from local milk, which is pasteurised before use.
Be made only in a traditional cylindrical shape.
Be allowed to form its own crust or coat.
Be unpressed.
Have delicate blue veins radiating from the centre.
Have a "taste profile typical of Stilton".



Blue stilton is often eaten with celery or pears. It is also commonly added as a flavouring to vegetable soup, most notably to cream of celery or broccoli. Alternatively it is eaten with various crackers, biscuits and bread. Traditionally, port is drunk with Stilton. The cheese is traditionally eaten at Christmas The rind of the cheese is rarely eaten due to its bitter flavour, and the fact that it may contain anti-molding agents or have been handled without gloves during its manufacture.

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