Sparkenhoe Blue

A rich and savoury blue cheese with a chewy texture and very fine threads of blue running through its crisp white paste.

PORTION

Smallest Piece

MINIMUM 290 g

Sixteenth

MINIMUM 435 g

Eighth

MINIMUM 875 g

Quarter

MINIMUM 1.75 kg

Half

MINIMUM 3.5 kg

Whole

MINIMUM 7.0 kg

Regular price £10.35 Sale

Quantity

- +

Spend over £29.50 to receive free delivery (England, Wales & Central Scotland)

Delivery Information

Standard delivery is free to most postcodes in the UK for orders over £29.50. Click here for a list of postcodes where additional delivery charges apply.

For orders under £29.50, standard delivery is £6.00.

Collection from our London shops is free - choose Shop Collection at checkout.

Choose your preferred delivery date at checkout. As we use third party couriers (typically DPD) we cannot guarantee the arrival day of your order but we will do our best to ensure that it arrives as close as possible to your chosen date. To be sure it arrives in time, we recommend choosing a date a couple of days ahead of when you would like to eat your cheese.

Download Crib Sheet

milk type
Cow

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Raw

location
Nuneaton, Warwickshire

milk source
Own herd

breed
Holstein

season
All year

average age
4-6 Months

cheesemakers
Will Clarke

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Sparkenhoe Blue is a new Stilton-inspired blue cheese developed by Will Clarke, the son of the couple behind Sparkenhoe Red Leicester

background

In 2017, inspired by the cheesemaking prowess of his parents David and Jo, Will Clarke set out to develop a new blue cheese to add to the Sparkenhoe family. Having grown up helping with the make of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, he was ready to take a more active role in the business – and the Clarkes needed to channel more of their liquid milk into cheese. A Stilton-inspired cheese made sense: there's a history of it in the area and it was once common practice for Red Leicester producers to make Stilton alongside their more mature, long-lasting cheeses. In recent years, they've been experimenting with adding annato – the dye that gives Red Leicester its orange hue – to the make to create Sparkenhoe Blue, which you'll find in our London shops on occasion. Building a new dairy and maturing rooms and creating a new cheese was a great way for Will to explore and refine his cheesemaking ability and we've been committed to helping him, with regular feedback and monthly farm visits.

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our work with this cheese

We have a long-standing relationship with the Clarke family, having worked with them closely ever since they embarked on their first cheese – a traditional Red Leicester – back in 2005. Diversifying into new, blue cheese was a big step for the Clarkes and we have been keen to support them along the way. We visit the farm monthly to taste and select batches of cheese and discuss various aspects of the make and maturation. Providing regular feedback from our customers regarding taste and texture also helps further their understanding, so they can make constant improvements.

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Accompaniments

Rosebud Piccalilli Chutney
£5.15

Rosebud Red Onion Port Marmalade
£4.10

Serving Suggestions

Top a thick Ortney oatcake with Sparkenhoe Blue and drizzle with honey.

Recipes

Sweet Potato & Blue Cheese Frittata

This delicious and simple frittata is perfect served with a side salad.

FAQs

Do you offer a discount for larger pieces of cheese?

Yes, the prices shown above are inclusive of a significant bulk discount for quarters, halves and whole cheeses.

How much cheese to buy?

As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend roughly between 100 and 150 grams per person for after dinner, and a bit more if cheese is the focus of the meal. If you are buying cheese to serve over a couple of days or as part of a buffet, it is advisable to buy a few larger pieces. This will both look better and keep better than many small bits. To help visualise weights, a good tip is to consider that a regular supermarket pat of butter weighs between 200 and 250 grams. If you are at all unsure please give us a call for some advice.

How should I store my cheese?

The best option is to keep your cheese wrapped in its paper within a box in the fridge. This will prevent the cheese from drying out and absorbing other flavours. Your cheese will arrive wrapped in waxed cheese paper, which achieves the best possible balance between maintaining humidity around the cheese and allowing it to breathe. We are happy to provide some free extra cheese paper, just search for "cheese paper" and add it to your basket. We don't recommend cling film or foil as it can cause the cheese to sweat which will negatively affect the flavour.