Stichelton is a re-creation of the great blue-veined Stilton cheese, almost synonymous with Christmas, when it was made largely by hand from raw milk.
Surprisingly Stilton cheese cannot be made legally in the village that bears its name. Only a few dairies are certified to make authentic Stilton, effectively giving Stilton protection from imitation.
But ironically the certification also prohibits makers of this classic blue cheese, once made from raw milk and animal rennet, from using raw milk. The use of pasteurized milk has been required since 1989 when an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness was linked to raw cow’s-milk Stilton. (Samples were later found to be free of suspected staph germs but the legal definition of Stilton still forbids raw milk.) Thus Stilton cheese is today made with pasteurized milk and synthetic rennet.
The Name Stichelton
So what were those who wished a renewal of Stilton, made in the classic tradition with raw organic milk and animal rennet, a tradition which has been outlawed, to do? They gave their cheese a pseudonym – “Stichelton,” the Saxon name of the village of Stilton.
Stichelton is made slowly and by hand. It is not a pressed cheese; it sits in hoops in a warm room for five days. The hoops are then removed before smoothing by a hand process known as “rubbing up.”
It is being hailed as a “traditional new cheese.” As for flavor, Stichelton is famed to be without equal. It is lighter than Stilton, with a creamy, gentle flavor. Light literally glows through a slice.
Stichelton is actually Stilton cheese as it used to be.
About the Owners
Stichelton is the creation of two entrepreneurs: Randolph Hodgson of the U.K. and Joe Schneider, a native of Syracuse, N.Y.
Hodgson is owner of Neal’s Yard Dairy retail shops and wholesale business in London and the dairy built on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, the key person in the making of artisanal cheeses and in the renaissance of British specialty cheeses.
Schneider is a passionate cheesemaker who started making cheeses and winning awards a decade ago. His love of traditional British cheese prompted him to move to the U.K. and, in 2001, help set up Daylesford Organic Creamery in Gloucestershire.
U.S. Distributors
Neal’s Yard Dairy ships its cheeses to the homes of individuals within the U.K. but not to the U.S. Several U.S. distributors claim to stock and ship the rare Stichelton but the service is spotty:
- Artisanal Cheeses and Whole Foods Bowery in New York
- Darien Cheese in Connecticut
- Di Bruno Brothers in Philadelphia
- Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge and Boston in Massachusetts
- St. James Cheese in New Orleans
- Cowgirl Creamery in D.C. and San Francisco
Best results seem to come from ordering from Zingerman’s Mail Order in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
U.S. federal regulations do not allow the sale of raw milk with the intent of human consumption. Currently unpasteurized cheeses are legal in the U.S. as long as they have been aged 60 days in 35°F(1°C), although this law occasionally gets re-evaluated because the government considers raw-milk cheese unsafe.
Cheese Care
The cheesemakers recommend that, because it is a farm cheese rather than a factory one, Stichelton be cared for by keeping it in a cool damp place like an unheated spare room. Keeping it in the refrigerator may be the buyer's only option, but the cheese may dry out. Wrapping it in plastic is not recommended because the cheese will become soggy; instead it should be wrapped in waxed paper. Open the cheese, take it out, and look at it frequently to ensure a quality state. Let it slowly come to room temperature before eating it because cold cheese lacks flavor.
Sources:
"The Dangers of Raw Milk." The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
