Our history of making cheese

From the dairy to the table…“Our cheese is crafted the traditional way, only using milk from local farms”

Our award-winning dairy, developed from an idea by Dr. William Windley, has been making world-class, outstanding cheeses using traditional methods for over 100 years. The traditional farming co-operative was first established in 1913. We are located in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir with the four local farms that provide us with 10,000 litres of milk a day.

All our cheeses are created by a highly skilled and dedicated team of cheesemakers still using original recipes handed down through generations.

At Colston Bassett Dairy, we’re proud to be the home of award-winning Stilton and Shropshire Blue cheeses, each one hand-made with care, character and over a century of expertise & tradition.

“Whey beyond expectations.”

“Our cheeses are made with pride, consideration, and a little bit of something else…”

“We use only the finest ingredients, along with knowledge that has been passed down through the generations.”

1

The milk for all our cheeses is delivered daily from four local farms all located within just 1.5 miles of the dairy in the Vale of Belvoir.
2

10,000 litres of milk are delivered to us daily and we use just 5 raw ingredients to make our world famous Stilton.
3

The Blue spore is then added which has an acidifying effect on the mixture, now with salt added to slow the process.
All our cheese is turned and mixed by hand during the initial setting process.
4

The cheese then begins the slow setting process, which in the case of our Stilton takes between 22-24 hours ( To give you an idea Cheddar usually takes 30-40 minutes to set).
5

After the hand-ladelling is complete , the curds & whey are then moved to the Hastening Room.
6

Now in their containers, these are turned by hand twice a day, every day.
7

The cheeses are then self-pressing under their own weight, during this time the whey drains out and the cheeses compact over a period of 4-5 days.
8

The Cheeses are then individually, hand smoothed throughout the 180/190 days which stops the oxygen getting which means the ‘blue’ is dormant.
9

The Cheeses are then individually pierced to let the oxygen back into the cheese so that the “blueing” process can begin and start working it’s magic.
10

The cheeses are then left to mature on timber shelves while the ‘blue’ grows outwards towards the oxygen.
11

The cheese wheels are constantly tested by our team throughout the maturation process and once ready, they are wrapped and boxed ready for distribution across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.