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18/02/04 - Stilton - The Facts

1. EUREKA! Unfortunately no one can claim credit for the invention of blue cheese - the first story of blue cheese being created comes from France: some soft cheese was abandoned by a group of French peasants and left until it formed a firm crust and had blue mould running through it. The peasants later found it and being hungry made a meal from it - they discovered it to be extremely palatable and so blue cheese was born.

2. GIRL POWER -Stilton was Britain’s first blue cheese and it was a Mrs Frances Pawlett of Wymondham, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, who is credited with making it. She had built a name for herself as a supreme cheese-maker and supplied cheese to Cooper Thornhill, owner of the Bell Inn in the town of Stilton. The town was a staging post on the Great North Road between London and York.

3. TRADING STANDARDS - Stilton, a blue veined cheese, was first made in the early part of the 18th Century. Daniel Defoe, writing in his “Tour through England and Wales’ in 1727 remarked that he ‘?passed through stilton, a town famous for cheese?’.and yet stilton was never made in the town.

4. READ ALL ABOUT IT - another early literary reference backs up Stilton’s reputation as the King of Cheeses. Pope’s Satire VI, Imitation of Horace comments:

‘Cheese such as men in Suffolk make,

But wished it Stilton for his sake.’

5. BUY BRITISH - There are only six dairieslicensed to make Stilton in the whole world. They are based in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and there are very strict rules to which they must abide to keep the product pure. For example stilton must be made using local milk and can only be made in a cylindrical shape.

6. Each finished Stilton cheese weighs about 7.5 kg and requires 72 litres of milk. Stilton can only be made from whole cow's milk and is allowed to ripen for 10-15 weeks, during which time it is pierced several times to encourage the growth of Penicillium roqueforti mould.

7. 1 Million Stiltons are made every year. About 150 thousand of these are exported to over forty different countries worldwide - the biggest export market is the USA.

8. FREEZE IT - Stilton can be frozen for up to three months - just cut into portions, wrap tightly in clingfilm or foil - and defrost slowly in the fridge overnight.

9. OLD BONES - an old 19th Century saying from Wymondham quotes:

‘drink a pot of ale, eat a scoop of stilton, everyday, you will make ‘old bones’’

10. A STILTON A DAY? Stilton has always been used as an everyday cheese - often served after meals. Using Stilton as an ingredient can spice up lots of everyday dishes. For more ideas please refer to the Stilton website at www.stiltoncheese.com.