Shropshire Blue
Shropshire Blue is a British blue cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, coloured orange with annatto and veined with Penicillium roqueforti. It is made much like Stilton but tastes sharper, and it matures for 10 to 12 weeks.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
| Specific Origin | United Kingdom |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | About 48% |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Semi-hard |
| Flavor | Sharp and strong |
| Aroma | Slightly tangy |
| Colors | Orange |
| Age | 10 to 12 weeks |
| Rennet Type | Vegetable |
| Also Known As | Blue Shropshire, Blue Stuart, Inverness-shire Blue |
What is Shropshire Blue Cheese?
Shropshire Blue is a cow's milk cheese made in the United Kingdom. Its origins are disputed. One account credits Andy Williamson, a cheesemaker trained in Stilton production in Nottinghamshire, who first made it in the 1970s at the Castle Stuart dairy in Inverness, Scotland. It sold at first as Inverness-shire Blue or Blue Stuart.
A rival claim points to Dennis Biggins, a cheese factor in Whitchurch, Shropshire, who is said to have come up with the idea of adding annatto colouring to the milk in the 1930s. After the Castle Stuart dairy closed in 1980, Cheshire cheesemakers Elliot Hulme and Harry Hanlin kept the recipe going before it passed to Colston Bassett Dairies. The Shropshire Blue name was picked to help sales, and the cheese has no link to the county itself.
The milk is pasteurised and set with vegetable rennet. Annatto, a natural food colouring, goes into the milk to produce the orange paste, and Penicillium roqueforti does the veining. The method follows Stilton closely. Wheels mature for 10 to 12 weeks and carry about 48 per cent fat.
The rind is natural and a deep orange-brown. Inside, the paste is soft and streaked with blue. The flavour is sharp and strong, slightly sour, with a faintly tangy aroma. Next to Stilton it reads sharper and creamier.
A variant made in Shropshire itself, Ludlow Blue, comes from a small artisan dairy. It uses carotene instead of annatto, which gives it a more yellow colour.
How Does Shropshire Blue Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Shropshire Blue against.
