I'm intrigued, tell me more of this stilton cheese.
http://www.stiltoncheese.com/
Stilton doesn’t just taste good but it’s crammed with goodness. It has a less aggressive flavour than many other blue cheeses and is less salty.
Facts and Figures
•There are just 6
dairies in the world licensed to make Blue Stilton cheese
•Stilton is a "protected name" cheese and by law can only be made in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire
•It takes 136 pints milk (78 litres) to make one 17 lb (8kg) Stilton cheese
•Stilton takes its name from the village of the same name in Cambridgeshire where a pressed, cooked, cream cheese of that name was first made and sold. We are still unclear how it evolved into a semi hard unpressed blue vein cheese but our
History of Stilton section sheds some light on its evolution
•Over 1 million Stilton cheeses are made each year
•More than 10% of output is exported to some 40 countries world-wide
•Every cheese is graded before leaving the dairy to ensure only cheese of the highest quality is marketed under the Stilton name
•White Stilton is also a protected name cheese and is made in a similar way to its blue cousin - except that no mould spores are added and the cheese is sold at about 4 weeks of age. It is a crumbly, creamy, open textured cheese and is now extensively used as a base for blending with apricot, ginger and citrus or vine fruits to create unique dessert cheeses.
The Stilton Cheesemakers' Association (SCMA)
The SCMA was formed in 1936 to represent the interests of the Stilton manufacturers and to raise standards. Today the SCMA has those same objectives but is also responsible for:
•Promoting Stilton world-wide
•Managing the trade marks; and
•Ensuring that standards are maintained at all licensed dairies.
The SCMA was granted a certification trademark for Stilton in 1966 and is still the only British cheese so accredited. This meant that the good name of Stilton was protected and that imitations produced other than in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire could not be sold under the Stilton name.
In 1996, the SCMA achieved "Protected Designation of origin" status for Blue Stilton from the European Commission. Whereas certification trademarks had to be separately applied for in each EU country, the PDO effectively gave Stilton protection from imitation across the whole of the EU. In addition, over the years, the SCMA has been granted certification trademarks for Stilton in many non-EU countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The SCMA is responsible with the relevant government authorities for ensuring correct use of the Stilton name and in recent years action been taken against traders, manufacturers and retailers in the UK and elsewhere who have attempted to pass off ineligible cheese as Stilton.
When consumers buy a piece of Stilton they can be assured that it has been made by an eligible dairy in one of the three counties to an approved recipe.
