Andy Montoya
Stilton cheese is a famous English cheese with a distinctive taste and texture. It is named after the village of Stilton, now in Cambridgeshire, where it was historically sold. Interestingly, Stilton cheese cannot be made in this village today, as it is not located in any of the three permitted counties for Stilton production: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. This requirement is due to the cheese's protected designation of origin (PDO) status granted by the European Commission. While the exact origins of Stilton cheese are debated, with some believing it originated in Leicestershire and others arguing it began in the village of Stilton, the cheese cannot be legally produced in the village that bears its name.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason Stilton cheese is not made in Stilton | Stilton village is not in any of the three permitted counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire |
| Where Stilton cheese gets its name | The village of Stilton, now in Cambridgeshire |
| What is required for a cheese to be called "Stilton" | Must be made in one of the three permitted counties and use pasteurized local milk |
| Protection under European Law | Protected designation of origin (PDO) in 1996 |
| Number of dairies licensed to make Stilton as of September 2016 | Six dairies: three in Leicestershire, two in Nottinghamshire, and one in Derbyshire |
| Application to amend the Stilton PDO to include the village of Stilton | Rejected in 2013 |
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What You'll Learn
Stilton village is not in any of the three permitted counties
Stilton cheese is a well-known and delicious British cheese with a distinctive taste and divine texture. It is one of the most famous types of blue cheese and originates from England. The cheese takes its name from the village of Stilton, now in Cambridgeshire, where it has long been sold. However, Stilton cheese cannot be made in Stilton village as it is not in any of the three permitted counties, namely Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. To be labelled as "Blue Stilton" in the EU, a cheese must be made specifically in these three counties and use exclusively locally produced and pasteurised milk. Manufacturers of Stilton in these counties received protection under European Law as a protected designation of origin (PDO) in 1996. The cheese retains its PDO status even after Brexit, under both EU and UK law.
The village of Stilton is in the administrative county of Cambridgeshire and the historic county of Huntingdonshire. The Original Cheese Company applied to Defra to amend the Stilton PDO to include the village, but the application was rejected in 2013. Stilton has long been sold in the village, and there is reason to believe that it was originally made there, rather than in Leicestershire. However, the quality of the cheese produced in Stilton seems to have declined over time. The agriculturalist Joseph Hazard commented in the London Encyclopaedia of 1829 that, while the farmers about Stilton were clean, they did not take enough care with the rennet, resulting in faulty and unsound cheeses.
The modern Stilton cheese shape and style were traditionally set up in the 1720s by Frances Pawlett, a cheesemaker from Wymondham, Leicestershire. However, others have also been named as potentially influencing the development of the cheese. In 1730, Cooper Thornhill, owner of the Bell Inn on the Great North Road in Stilton, discovered a distinctive blue cheese while visiting a small farm near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. He made a business arrangement that granted the Bell Inn exclusive marketing rights to Blue Stilton.
Stilton is made from pasteurised cow's milk sourced from local farms in the permitted counties. The process starts by adding rennet and cheese cultures to the milk, creating curds. The curds are then cut into small pieces and gently stirred. The curds are then milled and salted before being transferred into moulds. The moulds are turned daily, and the curd is smoothed by hand after several days and set to age. After the cheese has aged for about five weeks, it is pierced with steel needles to allow the blue veins to breathe and grow. After nine weeks, the cheese is ready to be sent out to shops.
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Stilton is protected by its PDO status
Stilton is a well-known and delicious English cheese with a distinctive taste and texture. It is named after the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire, where it has long been sold, but interestingly, it cannot be made there. This is because Stilton cheese is protected by its PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, which states that only cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire may be called Stilton. This protection is provided by European Law and remains in place even after Brexit, ensuring that the name "Stilton" is preserved for cheese made in these specific counties.
The PDO status of Stilton cheese sets strict requirements for its production. To be labelled as "Blue Stilton" in the EU, the cheese must be made in one of the designated three counties and use exclusively local and pasteurised milk. This protection extends to the production process as well. The art of making Stilton has been preserved over the years, with fresh pasteurised milk being poured into large vats daily, followed by the addition of a blend of cultures and rennet, along with a special yeast that promotes mould growth. The curds are then carefully handled, milled, salted, and moulded, before being aged for several weeks to allow the characteristic blue veins to develop.
The PDO status of Stilton cheese has significant implications for the village of Stilton and the permitted counties. While Stilton cheese can be purchased in the village, it cannot be produced there due to its location in Cambridgeshire, rather than one of the three permitted counties. This protection of the name "Stilton" has led to the development of similar cheeses with different names, such as Stichelton, which is an English blue cheese virtually identical to Blue Stilton but made without pasteurised milk.
The PDO status also ensures the quality and authenticity of Stilton cheese. It protects the traditional production methods and the reputation of the cheese, guaranteeing that only cheese made in the specified manner and location can bear the name "Stilton". This protection encourages the use of local milk, supports local dairy industries, and ensures that consumers can trust the quality and origin of the cheese they are purchasing.
In summary, the PDO status of Stilton cheese is important for preserving the heritage and quality of this English delicacy. It protects the name "Stilton", ensures adherence to traditional production methods, and promotes the use of local ingredients. While it may seem unusual that Stilton cheese cannot be made in the village of Stilton, this protection helps maintain the distinctiveness and reputation of this beloved cheese.
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Stilton cheese cannot be legally produced in Stilton
Stilton cheese, a well-known and delicious English cheese with a distinctive taste and texture, cannot be legally produced in the village of Stilton. The cheese takes its name from the village, now in Cambridgeshire, where it has long been sold. However, it cannot be made there because Stilton is not in any of the three permitted counties for Stilton production: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire.
The European Commission has granted Stilton cheese Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, which means that only cheese produced in these three counties can be called Stilton. This protection was granted under European Law in 1996 and remains in place even after Brexit, protected by EU law and UK law. The Original Cheese Company applied to amend the Stilton PDO to include the village of Stilton, but the application was rejected in 2013.
Stilton cheese has a long history, with early mentions in Daniel Defoe's 1724 work "A Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain". The modern Stilton cheese shape and style are often credited to Frances Pawlett (or Paulet) of Wymondham, Leicestershire, in the 1720s. The first person to market Blue Stilton cheese was Cooper Thornhill, owner of the Bell Inn in the village of Stilton, in 1730.
Stilton is made from pasteurized cow's milk sourced from local farms in the permitted counties. The process involves adding rennet and cheese cultures to the milk, creating curds, which are then cut into small pieces and stirred gently. The curds are then milled and salted before being transferred into molds. The molds are turned daily, and after almost a week, the curd is smoothed by hand and set to age for around five weeks. The cheese is then pierced with steel needles, allowing the blue veins to breathe and grow. After nine weeks, the cheese is ready to be sent out to shops.
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Stilton was also made in Staffordshire
Stilton cheese is an English variety of cheese produced in two types: blue, which has Penicillium roqueforti added to generate a distinct smell and taste, and white, which does not. It is named after the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire, where it has been sold for a long time. However, it cannot be made there because the village is not in any of the three permitted counties for Stilton production: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire.
The first person to market Blue Stilton cheese was Cooper Thornhill, owner of the Bell Inn on the Great North Road in Stilton. In 1730, he discovered a unique blue cheese while visiting a small farm near Melton Mowbray in rural Leicestershire. He made a deal that gave the Bell Inn exclusive marketing rights to Blue Stilton, and soon wagonloads of cheese were being delivered there.
The village of Stilton stood on a main stagecoach route between London and Northern England, which helped Thornhill promote sales and spread the fame of Stilton rapidly. The original shape and style of the modern Stilton cheese are traditionally attributed to Frances Pawlett (or Paulet), a cheesemaker of Wymondham, Leicestershire, in the 1720s.
While Stilton was originally made from raw milk, production switched to pasteurised milk after a health scare in the late 1980s. Since 1996, when it gained protected designation of origin (PDO) status, only cheese made with pasteurised milk can be sold as Stilton. To be labelled as "Blue Stilton" in the EU, it must be made in one of the three permitted counties and use locally produced and pasteurised milk.
In the event of a local milk shortage, milk for Stilton can be sourced from the surrounding counties, including Staffordshire. Interestingly, Stilton cheese was also manufactured in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, in 1892. The Nuttall family of Beeby, Leicestershire, opened a Stilton cheese factory there to take advantage of the local milk supply and good transport links. However, this venture was short-lived, and the site became a general dairy.
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Stilton is made using pasteurised cow's milk
Stilton cheese is named after the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire, where it has long been sold. However, it cannot be made there because the village is not in any of the three permitted counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire.
Stilton is made using pasteurised cows' milk. This has been the case since a health scare in the late 1980s, after which production switched from raw milk. To be labelled as "Blue Stilton" in the EU, the cheese must be made in one of the three permitted counties and use exclusively locally produced and pasteurised milk. In the event of a local milk shortage, milk can be sourced from the surrounding counties of Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Yorkshire, or Lincolnshire.
The use of pasteurised milk means that the cheese loses some of the characteristics that could be attributed to its terroir, as pasteurisation removes all the natural bacteria from the milk, both good and bad. The original starter culture (MT36) also had to be changed to allow for the different microbial composition of the milk, which meant that a significant number of steps in the production process had to be altered.
There are currently two raw milk blue cheeses made in England using the original starter culture. However, due to the SCMA mandate, they cannot be called Stilton and are instead named Stichelton and Sparkenhoe Blue.
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Frequently asked questions
Stilton cheese cannot be made in the village of Stilton because it is not in any of the three permitted counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire.
For a cheese to be called "Stilton", it must be made in one of the three permitted counties and use pasteurised local milk.
Stilton cheese is made from pasteurised cow's milk sourced from local farms in the three permitted counties.
Stilton cheese is a good source of protein, calcium, and phosphorus, which are essential for muscle growth, strong bones, and teeth. It also contains vitamins A and B12, which are crucial for a healthy immune system and proper nerve function.
