A buttery Stilton is the conventional choice for a holiday cheese board, but who wants to be conventional? This year, try a nice wedge of Shropshire Blue, Stilton’s more colorful twin. It’s every bit as tasty as Stilton but more of a drama queen. I was delighted to see it at a cheese counter recently because it’s relatively uncommon in the U.S. I suppose merchants find it easier to sell what’s familiar—Stilton—than to take a chance on stocking a cheese you don’t know.
Stilton is ancient, but Shropshire Blue is not. Some accounts of its murky origins trace it to the 1930s, others to the 1970s. Several years ago, the dairy manager at Colston Bassett—an important Stilton producer—told me that his predecessor developed Shropshire Blue in response to a customer request.
But here’s a competing theory: Robin Skailes, one of two cousins who operate Cropwell Bishop, the creamery that made the cheese I purchased, told me that the cheese originated with a cheesemaker in Scotland. “He wanted to make Stilton in Scotland but couldn’t because of the trademark so he added annatto and called it Shropshire Blue,” Skailes wrote me in an e-mail.
For all intents and purposes, Shropshire Blue is Stilton with added annatto, the plant-based colorant that’s used to tint many Cheddars, Goudas and Cheshire. The recipe and the maturing time (about 12 weeks) are the same, confirms Skailes. “The flavors (of Shropshire Blue) can be more nutty but the orange hue can make one’s mind play tricks,” he wrote.
Today, most Shropshire Blue is made in Nottinghamshire, by the same creameries that make Stilton. In 2016, judges at the British Cheese Awards named Cropwell Bishop’s Shropshire Blue the Supreme Champion, placing it over 910 other British cheeses of all types.
A 17-pound truckle of Blue Shropshire has a handsome natural rind and abundant veining. Cropwell Bishop has an excellent video showing Stilton production, the same process used for Shropshire Blue. Note the hand ladling of the curds, a labor-intensive step that many dairies no longer do. Hand ladling is more gentle than mechanical options, so the cheese remains moister and more creamy.
Shropshire Blue has the same toasty, saltine-cracker aroma that I find in good Stilton. The texture is buttery, creamy and a bit crumbly. As blues go, the flavor is mellow, especially near the rind where there’s not much veining. “For me it always seems slightly more fudgy in texture and sweeter than Stilton,” says Tracey Colley, founder of the U.K.’s Academy of Cheese.
Serve Shropshire Blue as you would Stilton, with a dessert wine and maybe some fresh walnuts in the shell. Cropwell Bishop recommends it with “pudding wine,” a Britishism for whatever you would serve with the steamed pudding. Love that.
In California, look for Shropshire Blue at Andronico’s (SF), Dedrick’s Main Street Cheese (Placerville), Molsberry Market (Santa Rosa), Nugget Markets (multiple locations), Oliver’s Markets (multiple locations), Petaluma Market (Petaluma), Summit Store (Los Gatos), Sonoma Cheese Factory (Sonoma) and Wally’s (Beverly Hills and Santa Monica). Beyond California, please ask your cheese merchant for it. Major distributors, like World’s Best Cheese and Aniata, can supply it.
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