Colston Bassett Stilton
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Pasteurised Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet, Penicillium roqueforti
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Pasteurised
location
Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire
milk source
Farmers cooperative
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milk type
Cow
ingredients
Pasteurised Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet, Penicillium roqueforti
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Pasteurised
location
Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire
milk source
Farmers cooperative
season
All year
average age
4-6 Months
cheesemakers
Billy Kevan
Show Less
Set up as a cooperative in 1913, Colston Bassett Dairy is still owned by the farmers who supply the milk, and a handful of local residents.
Background
Colston Bassett Dairy, which was set up as a cooperative in 1913 and is still owned by a handful of local residents and the farmers who supply the milk, is one of only five dairies in the world sti...
Read More
Colston Bassett Dairy, which was set up as a cooperative in 1913 and is still owned by a handful of local residents and the farmers who supply the milk, is one of only five dairies in the world still producing Stilton. They are also the only one that continues the traditional process of ladling the curds from the vat to the cooling trays entirely by hand: an important step in achieving a smooth, rich-textured cheese. The milk is sourced from farms within 1½ miles of the dairy, and the head cheesemaker, Billy Kevan, is only the fourth person to have held the post in more than a century.
Read Less
Our Work
Billy is a long-standing friend of Neal's Yard Dairy, having worked with us for many years to perfect the recipe for the Stilton we buy: a buttery, silky cheese with an elegant sweetness. As well a...
Read More
Billy is a long-standing friend of Neal's Yard Dairy, having worked with us for many years to perfect the recipe for the Stilton we buy: a buttery, silky cheese with an elegant sweetness. As well as hand-ladling the curds, Billy uses an animal rennet in our Stilton, which imparts a longer, more complex taste. The piercing (the process by which the cheese is quite literally pierced to allow air in to activate the mould) takes place later in the maturation process in order to strike the right balance between creamy, flavoursome paste and blue mould.
Read Less
Colston Bassett Stilton in the maturing arches at Colston Bassett Dairy
Accompaniments
Biscuit Selection
£11.70
Brown Bread Crackers
£3.90
Quince Paste - 200g Slice
£10.40
Recipes
Ed Smith, is packed full of decadent flavours but is deceptively simple to make, and the perfect way to enjoy blue cheese in warmer weather.
Ingredients-
3 medium oranges
1 head of radicchio
1 fennel bulb
120g Stichelton or Colston Bassett Stilton
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 figs
Ingredients-
3 medium oranges
1 head of radicchio
1 fennel bulb
120g Stichelton or Colston Bassett Stilton
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 figs
- Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off the oranges so they stand flat, then cut the peel off, working from top to bottom following the curve of the fruit. Discard the peel. Slice each orange in half, half again, remove the centre core/pith, and finally cut the quarters in half one more time. Put the segments in a large salad bowl and scrape the juice into another.
- Cut the radicchio into quarters and separate the leaves. Roughly chop the largest leaves in half again. Add to the oranges. Slice the fennel in half from top to bottom. Remove the stalk and discard. Slice very thinly, ideally using a mandolin. Add to the radicchio and orange.
- Make the dressing by adding the honey, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to the orange juice. Whisk or stir well with a fork so that the juice, honey and oil combine. Slice the blue cheese into thin shards.
- When you’re ready to eat, dress the salad and put onto four plates. Sprinkle with cheese. Cut each fig in half from top to bottom. Put a little oil in a non-stick, heavy bottomed frying pan and heat on the highest flame for 1-2 mins until extremely hot. Add the figs, cut side face down, and cook for 1 min to 90 secs – until the face is blackened, but stopping short of cooking the fig all the way through.
- Carefully remove from the pan, cut each half in half exposing the uncooked flesh, and put four quarters on top of each salad.
Ed Smith, is packed full of decadent flavours but is deceptively simple to make, and the perfect way to enjoy blue cheese in warmer weather.
Ingredients-
3 medium oranges
1 head of radicchio
1 fennel bulb
120g Stichelton or Colston Bassett Stilton
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 figs
Ingredients-
3 medium oranges
1 head of radicchio
1 fennel bulb
120g Stichelton or Colston Bassett Stilton
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 figs
- Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off the oranges so they stand flat, then cut the peel off, working from top to bottom following the curve of the fruit. Discard the peel. Slice each orange in half, half again, remove the centre core/pith, and finally cut the quarters in half one more time. Put the segments in a large salad bowl and scrape the juice into another.
- Cut the radicchio into quarters and separate the leaves. Roughly chop the largest leaves in half again. Add to the oranges. Slice the fennel in half from top to bottom. Remove the stalk and discard. Slice very thinly, ideally using a mandolin. Add to the radicchio and orange.
- Make the dressing by adding the honey, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to the orange juice. Whisk or stir well with a fork so that the juice, honey and oil combine. Slice the blue cheese into thin shards.
- When you’re ready to eat, dress the salad and put onto four plates. Sprinkle with cheese. Cut each fig in half from top to bottom. Put a little oil in a non-stick, heavy bottomed frying pan and heat on the highest flame for 1-2 mins until extremely hot. Add the figs, cut side face down, and cook for 1 min to 90 secs – until the face is blackened, but stopping short of cooking the fig all the way through.
- Carefully remove from the pan, cut each half in half exposing the uncooked flesh, and put four quarters on top of each salad.
Fig & Blue Cheese Salad
This recipe from Ed Smith, is packed full of decadent flavours but is deceptively simple to make, and the perfect way to enjoy blue cheese in warmer weather.Ingredients-3 medium oranges1 head of ra...
Hawksmoor’s Macaroni Cheese
Recipe from Hawksmoor at Home One of their most beloved side dishes, Hawksmoor's macaroni cheese is the perfect dish for when you need a comforting bite to eat. Containing Montgomery's Cheddar, Ogl...
Colston Bassett Stilton Veggie Sausage Rolls
Makes 8 large or 16-20 bite-sized sausage rolls Ingredients 500g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped ½ tsp each thyme and sage, finely chopped 1 medium onion, diced 50g butter 75g b...
Colston Bassett Stilton Sausage Rolls
Makes 8 large or 16-20 bite-sized sausage rolls Ingredients 500g all butter puff pastry 1 egg, beaten for egg wash 400g sausage meat (about 6 sausages) 2 tsps. fresh sage, chopped 30g breadcru...FAQs
Yes, the prices shown above are inclusive of a significant bulk discount for quarters, halves and whole cheeses.
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.
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.
Colston Bassett Stilton
Gentler, sweeter and more balanced than a ‘typical’ blue cheese, it boasts a creamy, buttery paste pierced with the delicate blue veining characteristic of a Stilton
Set up as a cooperative in 1913, Colston Bassett Dairy is still owned by the farmers who supply the milk, and a handful of local residents.
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Pasteurised Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet, Penicillium roqueforti
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Pasteurised
location
Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire
milk source
Farmers cooperative
season
All year
average age
4-6 Months
cheesemakers
Billy Kevan
background
Colston Bassett Dairy, which was set up as a cooperative in 1913 and is still owned by a handful of local residents and the farmers who supply the milk, is one of only five dairies in the world still producing Stilton. They are also the only one that continues the traditional process of ladling the curds from the vat to the cooling trays entirely by hand: an important step in achieving a smooth, rich-textured cheese. The milk is sourced from farms within 1½ miles of the dairy, and the head cheesemaker, Billy Kevan, is only the fourth person to have held the post in more than a century.
our work with this cheese
Billy is a long-standing friend of Neal's Yard Dairy, having worked with us for many years to perfect the recipe for the Stilton we buy: a buttery, silky cheese with an elegant sweetness. As well as hand-ladling the curds, Billy uses an animal rennet in our Stilton, which imparts a longer, more complex taste. The piercing (the process by which the cheese is quite literally pierced to allow air in to activate the mould) takes place later in the maturation process in order to strike the right balance between creamy, flavoursome paste and blue mould.
pairing suggestion
Top a Pimhill oatcake with Colston Bassett and drizzle with honey.
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