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Stilton cheese has its origins in the early 18th Century at about the same time that Sam Cullum was starting the business which was to become Paxton & Whitfield. Elizabeth Scarbrow was housekeeper at Quenby Hall near Leicester and saw a cheese being made which was known as Lady Beaumont's cheese. Elizabeth learned to make it herself and sold it as far afield as the Bell Inn in the village of Stilton, a Great North Road coaching inn some 30 miles away. Here it was purchased & enjoyed by travellers & became known as Stilton after the place where it was bought. Elizabeth married and one of her daughters continued to produce the cheese while the other married the landlord of the Bell. So popular was the cheese that others in the area produced similar cheeses and, in 1910, the producers had the foresight to lay down methods of production and to define the nature of the cheese and where it could be produced. To this day these controls ensure a high standard for all Stilton which may only be produced in the three counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
The milk is a blend of evening and morning milk to which is added a starter culture and rennet. Once the curds have formed, the whey is drawn off and the curds transferred from the vat to the 'table' where they are allowed to settle overnight. The following day they are milled, salted & transferred by hand into cylindrical moulds. Now the cheese is beginning to form and, after a week, the new cheese is taken out of the moulds and the rind is smoothed down. They now spend a further 4 weeks in the ripening room before being pierced with stainless steel needles allowing air to reach the interior of the cheese and encouraging the growth of the characteristic blue veining. The cheeses mature for a further period until the desired maturity is achieved.
A young Stilton has a crumbly texture and a highish acidity. With maturity the texture becomes creamier and the flavour more mellow. Stilton in prime condition will have a grey, wrinkly crust and the interior will be creamy yellow with an even spread of greeny blue veins. The flavour will fill the mouth but should not be overpowering; the pleasant, herby tang of the blue veining contrasting nicely with the rich, creamy character of the paste. Stilton comes in a number of “grades”, ours is of the top grade.
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