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Colston Bassett Stilton: The King of Cheese

Stilton ain’t called ‘the king of cheese’ for nothing. When at its best, it is truly one of the finest cheeses in the world – a creamy, velvety paste with a huge spicy aroma, and a rich, cheesiness that is sweet, salty, nutty, and savory with notes of honey, leather, dried fruits, and much more. When it is not good, it can be sharp, biting, overly salty and a little sour.

As England’s only name-protected cheese, production of Stilton is limited to a small group of makers who must adhere to strict guidelines, but while the basic recipe and geography is controlled, quality can vary greatly from one maker to the next. At Foster & Dobbs, we carry only Colston Bassett Stilton, which is widely regarded as far superior to the others. Our wheels are hand selected for us by Neal’s Yard Dairy in England, which assures that the cheese is in prime condition when it reaches our case.

Stilton was first recognized as a type of cheese in the early 1700s, and was mentioned in Daniel Defoe’s book, A Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain 1724-26. It took its name from the village of Stilton in the county of Cambridgeshire, though it believed by many to have actually been first made by Mrs. Elizabeth Orton on her farm near village of Melton Mobray in Leicestershire. The recipe was a family secret, but one of Mrs. Orton’s daughters married an innkeeper and moved to the Bell Inn at Stilton. There, she sold her mother’s cheese to travelers passing through and word of this exceptional cheese spread far and wide. Though Mrs. Orton had called the cheese “Quenby” as its fame spread, it became known as Stilton cheese. The cheese was never made in Stilton and even today, protected by a certification trademark, it can only be made in the three adjacent counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

Colston Bassett Stilton is made in the village of Colston Bassett in Nottinghamshire, from the milk of five herds that graze near the creamery. The creamery has been buying milk from the same five farms since the early 1920s. Since the creamery was established in 1913, there have only been 3 manager/cheese makers: Tom Coy (1913 – 1960), Ernie Wagstaff (1960 – 1996), and Richard Rowlett (1996 to present). Their Stilton is more traditional than the other Stilton creameries.

To make Stilton, milk is gathered daily from the farms and pasteurized, then inoculated with Penicillium roquefortii along with the starter and culture that encourage the milk to form curds. The milk and curds are treated gently at each step of the process, which preserves the structure and results in a luscious creamy texture when the cheeses are mature. The curds are cut by hand into small cubes and allowed to drain overnight. The next morning they are milled, salted and gently ladled into hoops where they stay for several days. The hoops are turned daily to encourage more whey to drain away. Once removed from the hoops, the cheese is rubbed by hand to smooth its surface and seal the edges. The cheese then begins the aging process and is stored in very specific temperature and humidity conditions for many weeks, during which time its characteristic crust develops. For the first month, the cheese is turned every day and after two months the wheels are pierced with stainless steel needles, introducing air into the paste and encouraging the development of the blue veining. It is aged about 4 months and tastes best in autumn and winter, when it is made from the rich summer milks.

Colston Bassett Stilton has a velvety, pale ivory paste that shades toward amber near the rind and is marbled with greenish blue veins. Its knobby natural rind runs tan to grey with patches of white.

A Few Ways to Use Colston Bassett Stilton:

Slice Preserved, fresh walnuts and place atop bite-sized pieces of Stilton.

Top Stem Ginger Oat cookies with a bit of Stilton

Put a slice of Stilton on a plate, pierce it gently with a fork, and pour a bit of Tawny Port over it. Offer bread or crackers for people to smear it on.

Crumble it into salads or atop cream soups.

Colston Bassett Stilton with Port-glazed Pears