the cheese blog

Mature Blue Stilton

Adding to the store-bought cheese reviews, this cheese comes from Marks & Spencer. It’s called Mature Blue Stilton made by the Tuxford and Tebbutt Creamery, in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Tuxford and Tebbutt are one of the eight official Stilton producers in the UK, with a history dating back to 1780.

Stiton is made from pasteurized cows milk (per Stilton regulations the cheese must now be pasteurized) and is aged for three to four months. It has a natural rind with a soft, pale-yellow butter color paste. The veining is slight, but the vein colors range from deep emerald blue to light seaweed green (I was expecting more veining though, maybe it was how the cheese was cut.) The texture is slightly firm, like softening butter. The taste is straight ahead Stilton. It is rich and buttery, with some saltiness followed by a mellow spiciness.

I would have to say that the cheese tasted flat and the surface texture wasn’t quite right (a bit rubbery, which can be seen in the picture). I think this is primarily due to the fact that the cheese is pre-packaged and doesn’t store very well. I guess it’s the trade-off between convenience and having access to better cheese.