Stichelton facts for kids
Stichelton is a special kind of blue cheese made in England. It's a lot like Stilton cheese, but with some key differences. Stichelton is made using milk that has not been pasteurised (heated to kill germs). It also uses rennet (an ingredient that helps milk turn into cheese) that is not made in a factory.
The name "Stichelton" comes from an old spelling of the village of Stilton. This old name is used because the cheese cannot legally be called "Stilton."
Randolph Hodgson and Joe Schneider make Stichelton cheese. They produce it in small amounts at a dairy near Cuckney, close to Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. They use raw milk and carefully make the cheese by hand.
How Stichelton Cheese Started
For many years, most Stilton cheeses were made with pasteurised milk. But before 1989, the Colston Bassett dairy made one Stilton cheese using unpasteurised milk.
Later, there was a health concern that was wrongly linked to the dairy. Even though it was proven wrong, the dairy decided to stop making the unpasteurised cheese. In 1996, Stilton cheese received a special legal status called Protected Designation of Origin. One rule for this status was that Stilton had to be made with pasteurised cow's milk. This meant no more unpasteurised Stilton.
Joe Schneider, an American cheesemaker, and Randolph Hodgson, who owns a cheese shop called Neal's Yard Dairy, wanted to bring back the unpasteurised Stilton-style cheese. In late 2004, they talked about making a new cheese like it. They found a place to start their dairy on the Welbeck Abbey Estate in Nottinghamshire.
Since they couldn't call their new cheese "Stilton," they named it Stichelton. This name comes from an old spelling of the village of Stilton from the 13th century. The first Stichelton cheese was made in October 2006. They even used a special starter culture (a mix of good bacteria) that had been kept alive for 15 years!
How Stichelton is Made
Stichelton cheese is made at a dairy on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. They use unpasteurised milk from Friesian-Holstein cows that live on Collinthwaite Farm.
ForbesLife magazine described Stichelton as a "sumptuous cheese." They said it has many flavors, like fruity, salty, buttery, and earthy. It's also sharp and creamy.
The special starter culture used for Stichelton is called MT36. This was the original culture used in the unpasteurised Stiltons made before 1989. It's different from the culture used in modern pasteurised Stilton cheeses. The MT36 culture was almost lost, but a small amount was saved and kept alive for 18 years by a starter producer named Ray Osborne.
See also
In Spanish: Stichelton para niños
