New Bid for Changes to Stilton PDO

Currently, Stilton can only be produced in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, but there has always been a dispute over whether the cheese originated in Cambridgeshire.

An application from The Original Cheese Company asks for the Parish of Stilton in Cambridgeshire to be added as an area where Stilton can be produced.

A statement from the company said, “As a result of recent research made possible by technological advancement in online resources and libraries such as Google Books etc., which allows the unprecedented search of rare and esoteric historical publications, it has now been recognized that Stilton cheese first originated in the Huntingdonshire (now Cambridgeshire) village of that name, around the beginning of the 18th century. The cheese continued to be commercially produced there until at least the latter [part of the] 18th century, by which time the major production area for the cheese had largely shifted to the East Midlands.”

A Defra spokesperson added, “This consultation has been launched after we received applications from businesses wanting to change to the Stilton product specification. This is an opportunity for all interested parties to now have their say on how this cheese is classified in the future.”

However, many industry experts refute the claims that Stilton was manufactured in the village of the same name and say it was merely sold there, which is how it got its name.