Scooping the Stilton

Christmas wouldn't quite be Christmas without an abundant round of Stilton sitting out for anyone to scoop a morsel as they pass.

“Then there are the English cheeses,” wrote George Orwell in his Evening Standard essay ‘In Defence of English Cooking’ in 1945. “There are not many of them but I fancy Stilton is the best cheese of its type in the world.”

Why we traditionally wait until Christmas to get stuck into the stilton is anybody’s guess. Though its richness does fit with the general eating mood during the festive period, and Christmas wouldn’t quite be Christmas without an abundant round of Stilton sitting out for anyone to scoop a morsel as they pass.

Only cheese made in the designated stilton way and produced in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire can bear the name stilton, and it’s one of only 17 British products to have the European PDO (protected designation of origin) stamp, which goes some way to explaining why we’re so proud of it.

If you want the best, go for Colston Bassett (£1.60/100g in Waitrose), which is both creamy and crumbly, with a strong flavour and also a warm nuttiness to it.

Then there is Cropwell Bishop, also good, but creamier and less strong – this would be a good choice if you’re trying to persuade anyone who doesn’t like blue cheese that they should give stilton a go. It is £1.40/100g from Waitrose. The organic version, at £1.60, is much the same but a little creamier still.

And what about the stilton/stichelton confusion? Stichelton is made to the same recipe as regular stilton, but using unpasteurized milk. For this reason it can’t be called stilton, but it comes very close to the original in flavour, yet at £2.20/100g costs quite a bit more.

It is made with raw milk and non factory-produced rennet, by Randolph Hodgson of Neal’s Yard Dairy and Joe Schneider, on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. The production is more labour intensive, hence the price, and as it has only been around since 2006 there is still quite a buzz about it as a new cheese.

White stilton is delicious too, though I don’t go in for those cheese studded with bits of fruit.

If you have some left (which you probably will, as despite its deliciousness, people tend to buy massive rounds of it), crumble into a vegetable soup – broccoli and stilton is the classic combo, but it works well with leek and leek and potato too.

Or scoff with a glass of something red and robust once everyone else is in bed.

Also worth your attention:

Potted Stilton with apple

Savoury Pear Pudding