Plan B Forum

Colston Bassett celebrates 100 years of Stilton cheese

A Nottinghamshire village is celebrating 100 years since it began producing Stilton cheese.



Colston Bassett has one of only five dairies, located in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, licensed to produce Blue Stilton.

The village is celebrating the anniversary with a series of events including a special church service.

The Reverend Claire Le Marchcant-Connell, said the dairy started in 1913 to help troubled farmers.

Mrs Le Marchcant-Connell, who is also a farmer, said: "It gave an outlet for their milk and meant they could improve the value of the product.

"Thank God that we've kept going and we're still producing good cheese."

Billy Kevan, dairy manager and chairman of the Stilton Cheese Makers Association, said: "Hygiene is completely different now than in 1913.

"Farmers would have come in their muddy boots with a milk churn and poured it in the cheese vat, probably smoking a pipe with cow muck on their legs after milking the cows."

Stilton cheese gained a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from the EU in 1996.

rubato wrote:Praying over it won't make it as good as French cheese.



No matter.



yrs,
rubato

Joe Guy wrote:What's a "celbration"?

Sean wrote:The 'e' migrated to the word cheesy...

The Cambridgeshire village of Stilton hopes to win public support for its battle to be recognised as the original home of the famous blue-veined cheese.

A public consultation will be launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in May.

Under EU law Stilton can only be made by a few dairies in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, where it is believed to have originated.

But Stilton resident and historian Richard Landy disputes this claim.

He has documents from the 18th Century which he believes could prove the cheese originated in the Cambridgeshire village.

A Defra spokesman confirmed a consultation on whether Stilton should be recognised as the original home of the cheese will start in May.

A blue-veined cheese is now being produced in the kitchens of the Bell Inn, Stilton.

In 1996, the Stilton Cheese Makers' Association achieved Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status for blue Stilton from the European Commission.

The PDO effectively gives Stilton cheese protection from imitation across the whole of the EU.

The public will have its say on the Cambridgeshire village's claim to the name for its cheese from May.

If the consultation is favourable, the decision to amend the Stilton PDO will go before the European Commission.

Mr Landy said: "The nation will be able to decide if we should be allowed to make Stilton cheese in Stilton."

North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara, who represents Stilton, will announce the public consultation plan at the village's annual Stilton Cheese Rolling Championship on 6 May.

Lord Jim wrote:Yeah, but no matter how much you pray over it, it's not going to turn into Norwegian cheese....

You know everything's better in Norway....

It's already famous the world over and the favourite of dearly-loved stop motion TV duo Wallace and Gromit.



But now Wensleydale cheese can boast a fresh accolade after it was awarded official protection by the European Union.

The newly conferred status means no other cheese-maker outside the designated area can produce a cheese and call it Yorkshire Wensleydale.



The maker of the crumbly delicacy, the Yorkshire Dales-based Wensleydale Creamery, has finally won its long campaign for Protected Geographical Indication status for its product.

The creamery will now add the PGI symbol to its packaging, reaffirming its true Yorkshire credentials and helping shoppers differentiate it from cheeses made in other counties.

David Hartley, managing director of The Wensleydale Creamery, said: 'Our heritage and provenance makes Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese taste truly unique and we're delighted this is now officially recognised.

'We'd like to thank everyone for their support for our application, including our dedicated staff at The Creamery, our local community and of course our loyal customers in the UK and around the globe.

'There could be no better early Christmas present for the whole team here and it is a great platform to propel us into 2014.'

Wensleydale Creamery says its cheese's unique creamy taste and crumbly texture is derived from unique starter cultures.

For true Yorkshire authenticity, the company gets its milk from local family farms and claims to contribute more than £10million to the local Dales economy each year.

Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is also the local MP, said: 'Achieving PGI status means many things for Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese.

Lord Jim wrote:
Quit while yor behin....