An exquisite blue-veined cheese with a crumbly texture, pungent aroma and rich flavor, Stilton is best served at the end of a meal, accompanied by a glass of vintage port.
Made from cow's milk, Stilton takes its name from the Huntingdonshire village of Stilton—ironically, a place where the cheese has never been made. Stilton actually originated at Quenby Hall in Leicestershire in the early 1700s. The housekeeper there who created it apparently supplied cheeses to the Bell Inn, a fashionable lodging at Stilton on the Great North Road between London and York. It was the Bell Inn that ultimately popularized the cheese. In 1727 Daniel Defoe, the great British author, noted that Stilton was "a town famous for cheese."
Considered the "king of English cheese," today's Stilton is produced only in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. It is available throughout the year, but because Stilton is at its best in late autumn, the cheese has become a traditional holiday favorite throughout Great Britain.
Made from cow's milk, Stilton takes its name from the Huntingdonshire village of Stilton—ironically, a place where the cheese has never been made. Stilton actually originated at Quenby Hall in Leicestershire in the early 1700s. The housekeeper there who created it apparently supplied cheeses to the Bell Inn, a fashionable lodging at Stilton on the Great North Road between London and York. It was the Bell Inn that ultimately popularized the cheese. In 1727 Daniel Defoe, the great British author, noted that Stilton was "a town famous for cheese."
Considered the "king of English cheese," today's Stilton is produced only in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. It is available throughout the year, but because Stilton is at its best in late autumn, the cheese has become a traditional holiday favorite throughout Great Britain.