Stichelton

One of my favorite blue cheeses is Stichelton. From all accounts Stichelton is what Stilton used to taste like back in the day. Before the scare.

What was the scare? In 1989 there was an outbreak of food poisoning. The poison: staphylococcus. The suspect: raw milk Stilton. Although the cheese was proven innocent, the Stilton Cheesemaker's Association required that only pasteurized milk be used for making Stilton. In order for a cheese to be called Stilton, it must be made from pasteurized milk.

Pasteurized milk is good right? Well, kind of. I enjoy pasteurized cheeses, and think that many cheesemakers do them well. Like most turophiles, I am a big proponent of raw milk cheeses. I think that cheese make with raw milk have a much more exciting and complex flavor profile as those that have been pasteurized. I can almost always tell a raw milk cheese (I'm working on my palate.)

Raw milk tastes milky. I know that sounds silly, but think about it. Milk has flavor. Milk should taste like whatever the animal was eating. Let's say that your cows are grazing on organic fields. You milk them and then make cheese with that milk. That milk and subsequent cheese is going to taste like your cows were outside munching on grass. If the fields were lush and filled with clover you're going to taste that. Now, if you take that same milk and heat it what happens? Well, you lose some of the characteristics of the milk. Heating anything changesflavor profile and it's bacterial makeup, and you're going to taste that in the final product.

Don't take my word for it, try it yourself. Get a piece of Stilton and a piece of Stichelton. Try the Stilton first. A pastuerized cow's milk cheese. It's a lovely cheese. A very tasty blue. Now try the Stichelton. An organic raw cow's milk cheese. Wow! What a difference! The Stichelton is creamy and buttery and has an absolute mammalian quality to it. It tastes green and sharp and milky and salty and delicious. When people came into the shop I used to do this side by side with them-impossible to do now since we don't carry Stilton.

Back to the cheese. Stichelton is made by Joe Schneider (cheesemaker) on the Welbeck Estate in partnership with Randoph Hodgsen of Neal's Yard Dairy (affinage). Neal's Yard Dairy is the premium affineur in England. They promote small farm made cheeses and have the highest level of quality control. I don't care where you're from, you must know Neal's Yard Dairy, and you must try their cheeses. Why not start with some Stichelton. Mmmm...cheese from "across the pond".

Air is introduced to the blue cheese through an injecting machine. This helps to insure the consistency of the veins. *Please read the comments for clarification*








Whenever possible, I encourage you guys to do side by side tastings. They're not only fun, but they are educational too. When people come into the shop and ask for Cheddar, I usually pick out three. I get a big daddy cheese like Montgomery's or Keen's from England, an American clothbound cheese like Beechers, or Fiscalini and then a cheese like a one year Grafton Village Cheddar. If you don't taste how do you know? Plus, it's free. You get to taste cheese for free. It's one of the only times I can think of where you get to taste the product before you buy it. Take advantage of it.