We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Supreme hand-made Stilton
The Nantwich Cheese Show, re-named the International Cheese Awards, had a record breaking entry of 2,761 cheeses from 24 countries. Katie Lomas reports from Dorfold Park, Cheshire.
A BLUE Stilton made using traditional methods at a family-run Nottinghamshire creamery won the coveted supreme champion cheese award.
The winning cheese was from Cropwell Bishop Creamery, run by brothers Ian and David Skailes, and situated eight miles south east of Nottingham.
The family have been making Stilton for over 60 years and also produce Blue Shropshire cheese using traditional methods and milk sourced direct from 12 family-run farms in the Peak District.
Robin Skailes, Ian’s son and production manager at the creamery, said the provenance of the milk and the hand-made aspect of the cheese-making process was vital to the success of the business.
“We are very, very passionate about the quality of our cheeses and because they are hand-made, using traditional methods, a lot of passion goes into the making of them. We take great pride in winning these awards.”
Stilton can only be made in the shires of Derby, Leicester and Nottingham and Mr Skailes said the milk sourced from the Peak District farms was ‘spot on’ for making Stilton.
We take great pride in winning these awards
Robin Skailes
The milk used is mainly from traditional Friesian-type cows and although Mr Skailes said the issue of the correct proportion of fat and protein constituents was the ‘million dollar question’, the milk sourced for Cropwell Bishop Creamery cheese was ideal for Stilton and Shropshire Blue.
The winning cheese was entered in the ‘two whole Blue Stilton’ class, which was open to producers producing less than 1,000 tonnes annually.
The creamery, which employs 55 staff, makes enough cheese each year to supply Waitrose and several other local delis and wholesalers.
As well as the supreme title, the creamery also took gold awards in the plain white Stilton, Shropshire Blue and single blue vein cheese classes.
Earlier this month one of the company’s Blue Shropshire cheeses won the reserve supreme title at the Great Yorkshire show and in 2003 their organic Stilton won the British Cheese award – the first time it had been won by a Stilton.