Production of our award-winning Blue Stilton and other cheeses starts early in the day – but our fifty or so staff from local villages are used to that. Most have been working for us in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir, in Nottinghamshire, for a very long time. Only a tradition going back through generations could create a workforce with such skill and dedication to their craft.
Day 1: at 6.30am fresh milk from local farms is piped from the pasteurizer to the cheesemaking vats. To each vat, we add small amounts of the starter culture, the Penicillium roqueforti mould culture, and vegetarian rennet. By around 9.30am, the milk will have taken on a blancmange consistency and our experienced Cheesemaker will judge when it is ready to be cut.
At 9.30am the Cheesemaker walks up and down the vat, cutting the curds into small cubes with cutting frames. These have either horizontal or vertical cutting wires. Once the operation is complete, the curd is left in the vat to separate from the whey. Gradually the whey is drained from the vat and, once most of it has been removed, the curd is spread on a draining table. This part of the draining process cannot be hurried: it will not be complete until early the next day.
Day 2: at 7am the curds are cut again, this time into cubes. These are then milled to break the curd into small pieces – about the size of a walnut. This exceptionally long cheesemaking time of 24 hours from rennet to mill is crucial to building the unique texture of the Stilton curd. At this stage, salt is mixed with the curd in 11kg cylindrical formers, known as hoops, to mould the final shape of the cheese. These cylinders of curd are turned by hand every day for the first five days. No mechanical aids are used and no pressure is applied: the Blue Stilton cheese is naturally formed giving an open texture.
After 5 days the Blue Stilton cheeses are taken to the rubbing room. The hoop is removed from each cheese and the surface of the cheese is smoothed with a special knife to seal it. This is the traditional method to prevent air from entering the cheese and signals the beginning of the Blue Stilton’s natural protective coat, which now begins to form.
Over the next 5 weeks the Blue Stilton cheeses are moved through a series of rooms at very specific humidities and temperatures, still being turned by hand. Then the Blue Stilton cheeses are rotated and pierced by long, stainless steel needles. This piercing technique encourages air into the Blue Stilton cheese which starts the natural blue veining process.
After another week, the Blue Stilton cheese has its second and final piercing.
After one more week the Blue Stilton cheeses are ready to be individually graded. A skilled grader with a special cheese iron removes a core from the Blue Stilton cheese to assess the veining and texture of the curd. This will show how the Blue Stilton cheese has been transformed during the ripening process.
Once the grader is satisfied that the Blue Stilton cheese has reached the required standard, it will be passed on to be carefully wrapped in waxed paper, or cut into different shapes and sizes for retail or gift packs.
Creating a traditional Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton cheese is a highly skilled craft. It requires hours of ceaseless care and attention from staff dedicated to producing consistently the finest quality Blue Stilton cheese. Their efforts are supported by the analytical work of the Quality Assurance staff; they operate the Quality Management Systems which ensure that Cropwell Bishop's Blue Stilton cheese product complies with the required quality specification.
Caring for your Cropwell Bishop Stilton Cheese: Keep the Blue Stilton cheese well wrapped and refrigerated until at least an hour before it is needed. It should then be taken from its wrapping and left to breathe at room temperature.
