Colston Basset Stilton, 200g

Colston Basset Stilton is hand-made by Billy Kevan and his team in Nottinghamshire. It is one of the last remaining hand-ladled Stiltons. Hand-ladling produces an intensely rich and creamy cheese; and the Colston Bassett flavour is deep, lingering and complex.

Local milk is left to set under the watchful eye of Billy Kevan, only the fourth head cheese-maker since 1920. The curd is gently cut into small cubes and left to settle. It is then drained and hand-ladled into curd trays. The next morning it is milled and packed into stilton hoops where it will drain naturally before being rubbed and put into the maturing rooms.

After four to six weeks and again one week later, Colston Bassett Stilton is pierced to allow air to get in, so oxygen penetrates the cheese and the blue veins can develop.