November 13, 2025

Stilton

It’s our first post in a while that’s actually about cheese. It’s November and I’ve just finished teaching class on Stilton and Port, the perfect duo for these cold nights. They’re a classic pairing, and I thought I’d write about them together. What I realized, though, is that the post became extremely long, so I split it in two. There’s just so much to say! So let’s get started!

Stilton PDO

Around the world, Stilton, even more so than Cheddar, is THE quintessential British cheese. It’s the only blue cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in the United Kingdom. Stilton must be made in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, or Leicestershire from pasteurized cow’s milk. The wheels are nearly a foot wide and a foot tall. It’s got a creamy yet crumbly texture, and a gorgeously rich, fudgy flavor. We wrote an article about the blue cheese family if you’d like to learn more about what creates those lovely blue veins.

Eglantine: If you’re nervous about blue cheese, I’ve a trick for you. Take a bit of Stilton and a chocolate chip together, just the one. See what you think. If you like it, grand. Then try the Stilton without the chocolate. And if you don’t like it, eat a handful of chocolate chips and call it a day. No shame in that. But you might surprise yourself!

There is nothing wrong with not liking something. It doesn’t mean anything about your quality as a human being. But it’s awesome to be open minded and try new things!

Chocolate is fantastic paired with Stilton. They’ve got a similar consistency, they’re both complex in a way that only fermented food can be. (Yes, chocolate is fermented!) The sweetness of the chocolate balances the blue’s intensity, and the saltiness of the cheese sharpens the chocolate’s flavor.

History of Stilton

Like many cheeses, Stilton is named after a place. What makes this story a little more fun, is that Stilton is not made in Stilton today. Stilton is a village on the Great North Road, which connects London and Edinburgh, and is not in the counties where the cheese is made.

One story goes that the Bell Inn, owned by Cooper Thornhill in the early 1700s, sold the cheese, which was made by Thornhill’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Pawlett. Londoners loved the cheese so much they brought it south with them. But it was named after the village where the travelers could get the cheese, not where it was made.

A lesser-known story says it was made in the village, also starting in the early 18th century. The Stilton-not-from-Stilton story seems to have convinced more people, but no one knows! These apocryphal stories are very common in the cheese world, not just with Stilton. If you’d like to read more about British cheese history, I highly recommend Ned Palmer’s very entertaining book.

Stilton Makers

I have another of Ned Palmer’s books, Compendium of British & Irish Cheese right here next to me, published in 2021, and it lists six Stilton makers. That felt like a small number, but two more have since closed. Tuxford & Tebbutt had been in production since 1780, and just closed in August of 2024.

From Patrick McGuigan’s article:

Tuxford & Tebbutt will be the second Stilton maker to stop production in the past four years, following the closure of the 150-year-old family business Webster’s Dairy in Leicestershire in 2020. That will leave just four blue Stilton-makers left in the UK: Clawson in Leicestershire, Hartington in Derbyshire, and Cropwell Bishop and Colston Bassett in Nottinghamshire. Matthew O’Callaghan, organiser of the Melton Mowbray Artisan Cheese Awards, said sales of Stilton had suffered in recent years because of its reliance on sales at Christmas. “Tastes have changed with people moving away from the traditional Christmas dinner,” he said.

Eglantine: Save Christmas and eat more Stilton! It’s proper winter food. A bit by the fire with a glass of Port or a cup of coffee, tree twinkling, someone telling a ghost story. That’s Christmas sorted. They say Stilton gives you wild dreams. I reckon that crumb of cheese old Scrooge blamed for seeing Jacob Marley was Stilton. Good for him, too! Woke him right up, didn’t it?

Aritz: Eat more fungus. Let your ghosts sit at the table. The living have too much to say anyway.

Colston Bassett

When I was visiting my daughter in Derby, we drove out to Colston Bassett. The countryside was beautiful, and of course I stopped at the creamery for some cheese. I admit I was hoping for a bit of Colston Bassett swag. That was my American showing.

Colston Bassett was founded in 1912 in Nottinghamshire and is one of the last remaining Stilton producers. It’s run by head cheesemaker Billy Kevan, who visited Formaggio Kitchen with Neal’s Yard Dairy in April 2025. It was fantastic to hear him discuss Stilton and the challenges facing artisanal cheesemakers. In over 100 years of Stilton-making, Billy is only the fourth head cheesemaker. He’s a passionate advocate for Stilton and cheesemakers overall.

Colston Bassett’s Shropshire Blue is made in the same style, but colored with annatto, that beautiful orange hue that looks especially festive this time of year. I think the annatto changes the taste and texture somewhat, but I can’t tell if it’s just psychological. It seems a bit less crumbly and more creamy to me. If you’d like to learn more about annatto, we’ve got a post for that!

Eat Stilton and Save the World!

We’d like to encourage you to eat more Stilton. Let’s help save the last four remaining Stilton makers. Eating Stilton may summon ghosts that help you be a better person. And if you’re a bit scared of blue cheese, Stilton is a fantastic place to start. It’s always good to try new things!

Coming soon: Eglantine’s Chocolate and Stilton Truffle