Stichelton

Going to make blue cheese, let alone the best Stilton in the world, had always been a dream of mine.  Growing up, I started handing out samples at my Uncle Glenn's cheese stand and fell in love with any blue I could get my hands on.  To me, eating it was like being transported into a lap of luxury.  I guess, as my mom said, I had developed a very 'expensive' palate.  For me, there was no discerning between artisan & 'manufactured':  Stilton, Saga Blue, Roquefort, Cambazola, and, of course, Danish Blue were all part of the tasting menu.  And I ordered everything on the menu!  I probably owe my uncle a couple hundred dollars from all of the munching I did on these cheeses alone.  Although Roquefort was my favorite, Stilton by far made the most sense.  Perfect for burgers, used in a dipping sauce, or to eat by itself on a plate, Stilton became an obsession.  Of course, it was crowned the instant I had a piece of Colston Bassett...

So, it is a "vision fulfilled" that I found myself in the middle of Great Britain.  I have been lucky enough to be invited by Joe Schneider to his famous Stichelton Dairy, where the only raw milk Stilton in the world is made.  And, I might point out, the Stilton that had long ago taken over my palate as my "preferred/favorite" Stilton.  Nestled next to the Sherwood Forest in Nottingham, the vast countryside is filled with rough yet regal beauty.  Traveling by train from London, you quickly make the passage from crowded streets to sprawling fields and farms.  I would call them gently rolling hills, the kind you find in the Midwest, with plenty of crops being grown, interspersed with small towns.

The story of Stichelton is based on a change in the UK laws forbidding the use of raw milk, a change that altered the traditional techniques in place for centuries.  In 1989, England suffered an outbreak of gastrointestinal illnesses that was blamed on raw-milk Stilton. Subsequently, the Stilton cheesemakers (there are only five:  Long Clawson, Cropwell Bishop, Colston Bassett, Tuxford & Tebbutt, & Websters) decided to switch to using pasteurized milk, and in 1996 the European Commission granted the cheese the status of “protected designation of origin” (PDO). From that moment, if a cheesemaker wanted to create a raw-milk Stilton, he would be legally obliged not to use that name.  Translation:  it is illegal to call anything made with raw milk, Stilton.

Joe Schneider (Picture taken from the New York Times)

Of course, the Stilton's made with pasteurized milk are wonderful cheeses.  However, two men in particular believed that something was lost when raw milk versions ceased to exist.  Randolph Hodgson, chairman of Neal's Yard Dairy, and Joe Schneider, a multi-talented cheesemaker, came together to form a new dairy on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, dedicated to making raw cow's milk Stilton.  Since 2006, they have made the world's only raw cow's milk Stilton according to the same recipes and techniques that were used during previous centuries.  In naming the cheese, they chose to name it after the original name of the village where Stilton originated.



The farm sits in an open air region that is vast and has 130 Holstein Cows with plenty of room to roam.  The cows are milked twice a day while they eat, while the dairyman in charge makes sure that each cow is fed individually to their nutritional needs.  By doing this, he can alter the mix feed allowing for greater control and ability to enhance the cow’s intake.  Recently, the farm moved to being completely organic:  the feed, concentrate, all practices are completely organic.  Cheese production continues through the year while the milk alters in color based on the season.  When they’re inside for the winter and feeding on silage, the milk is very white, while the milk becomes creamy and turns the slightest brownish in color when the cows are feeding on pasture.  This change is based on the hydrocarbon, carotene, that is found in the grasses.

At 5:30 a.m. we awoke and began driving to the Dairy.  As is the norm in this region of the world, the roads are extremely narrow and bordered by tall stone walls.  This can provide for a frightful passenger experience, particularly when the sun is still not up.  However, peering through the darkness via our Jeep lights, I was focused on the day's activities.  And after having completed the day, I have found it to be more convenient to simply tell/show using a timeline & pictures, then using pure narrative.  So, here is our day....

6:00 a.m.  Walk-in for tour of the joint.  Will be spending the day here.....

Curd #1 = Curd from previous night

6:00 a.m.  Flip Curd from the previous night.  Henceforth known as Curd #1.  Cut it in half.  The curd is resting at 24° C in the morning.  This is basically the room temperature.  This is in relationship to how much heat is coming off of Curd #1.

**The vats are sanitized, and hoses are flushed to kill off bacteria from day before.  These vats are 40 years old and come from Colston Bassett.  They were used by the legendary Stilton maker, Ernie Wagstaff.

Milk comes fresh from the morning cow's milking in the barn and mixed in with last night’s milk. Another words, the milk from last night is being added to the current milk to be used in today’s cheese.  This milk will be made into curd today and will be henceforth known as Curd #2.  The milk comes from the barn 30 meters away, in an underground pipe into the 650 gallon tank.  Milk comes in at 14° C.  By the time it completely fills the vat, it’s at 20° C.

 

A very slow pump by industry standards is used so that the milk arrives gently, thereby keeping the milk composition intact.  Of course, this is one of the keys to having the best possible texture and flavor at the end.

**At this time the plastic moulds used for forming the wheels are cleaned & everything is sterilized again from the night before. 

7:20 a.m.  Milk is stirred & heated as it comes in.  It is stirred gently with an oar that has holes in it.  This allows the milk to be moved without roughing it up.  It is heated through moving water in the outer shell of the vat.  By circulating either cold or hot water in this way, the milk’s temperature can be controlled.

7:30 a.m.  Curd #1 is moved and cheesecloth is taken out.  At this point, the curd feels like a fine sponge that is completely damp, but not dripping.

7:45 a.m.  Continue stirring morning milk.  Cream has started appearing on top. 

Cheesecloths are washed from Curd #1.  Next, the starter is mixed for milk that will eventually make Curd #2. 

They use two different starters, named MM & MT.  MM is used only once at the beginning of the week, while MT is used for the rest.  The starter is kept frozen to keep “action” from happening.  The acidity is checked to make sure it is above a certain T.A. (Titra-table Acidity).

8:00 a.m.  Starter is added. 

The milk is measured at a total of 2731 L.  This will make 34 cheeses starting at 12 KL and end at about 8 kl.  The milk continues to be heated until 26.7° C.  Then, they empty the water from the inside of the vent and let the temperature “coast” up to 28°C.  Now that they have measured the total milk, they go to a chart & do the calculations to see how much rennet to add.

8:30 a.m.  They mill Curd #1, using a grinder of sorts that is set to the coarsest setting possible.  by keeping the curds larger, it helps keep better acidification.

Curd Mill

The curd is fed by hand into the mill and then is caught into a bowl.  While it is being ground into a bowl, a pre-measured cup of salt is added.  This bowl is then tossed by hand to make sure the salt is evenly dispensed.  As you toss the curds, they tend to breakdown into smaller chunks, while you feel the grittiness of the salt dispense.  The curd is smelled, felt, looked at, and tasted.  The inside of the curd tends to be quite wet.


When I manually salted the curd, I made the decision to do it without gloves (they warned me).  I wanted to get a true feeling of what it feels like and how past generations did it themselves.  Ouch!  As you can see in the video, after some time, my arms started to show signs of wear and tear from the painful salting process.  It is very gritty, like sharp sand digging into your skin.  When I decided it was time to stop, it was not because there was no more cheese; instead, it was because my skin had had enough.





The salt is heavy, as the curd tastes sweet from the milk, while ending kind of sour.  The ph of the whey is also checked for the last time.





Once the bowls are filled, the curds are poured into the moulds.

Immediately, whey begins to drain out of the moulds from the curd just added.

The morning milk, aka Curd #2, has reached 28° C.  Rennet is added and water line in vat is emptied.  No more milk will be added.

9:10 a.m.  Curd #1 vat, bowls, and grinder are washed and sterilized.

9:15 a.m.  We take a break from cheesemaking and take a tour of the farm and ready for lunch.

Touring around the farm is a pleasure during some downtime that includes the smells, sounds, and the beauty of agricultural living. It impresses greatly upon me, the true meaning of the word terroir and gives me a new sense of what flavors, smells, impressions I get when unwrapping a wheel of Stichelton!

 The calves of Stichelton

The Stichelton Dairy is one that operates using Friesian-Holstein cows.  These cows are valued highly throughout the world for their outstanding milk producing ability, and constitute an enormous percentage of the cattle make-up for the UK.  Primarily grazers, the cows have a gestation period of 9 months and on average, produce over 7,400 liters of milk per year.

Jeopardy-like fact:  The most famous American Holstein cow was, Pauline Wayne, an official pet to President William Howard Taft.

 

 The cows of Stichelton

Just past the milking parlor exists a beautiful pond with a familiar smell.  It is a whey pond!  You see, the left over whey from the cheesemaking process can’t be fed to animals according to E.U. (European Union) law.  Therefore, they collect the whey in a small lagoon outside the barn and later spread it onto the farm 2-3 times a year for fertilization purposes.

 Finally, the staff takes a break and enjoys a well-deserved lunch break.  Eating communal style is an everyday occurrence and provides light banter, work discussion, and down time.




10:00 a.m.  Curd # 2 has changed.  There is a real firm film that has formed and can be cut away.  In order to be precise, the curd is physically checked.  Basically, they are looking to be able to insert their hand by 'breaking through' the curd, while being able to 'lift up' some of the mass without it being too concentrated.

In order to be precise, the curd is physically checked. 

This represents the time that the curd is cut for the first time.  First, they use a cutter with blades going vertically. 

They go form left to right, then front to back.  The curd consistency starts as mostly jello-like in a little liquid(whey), then becomes more whey with a little jello-like substance.

        
Second, they use a cutter with blades going horizontally, to go front to back only. 

When finished, the curd has a notable distinction between the curds & whey.  Obviously, the color has a distinct yellowish hue, while the curd is that of a slinky, slippery texture.  If picked up, the curd will slip right out of your hand.....

       

Meanwhile, they have begun flipping cheeses in the Maturation Rooms.  Room #1 includes cheeses that are up to 5 days old.  These are flipped every day while remaining in their moulds.  Room #2 (The Drying Room) holds cheeses up to 3 weeks old that have been removed from their moulds while being turned 3 times/week.  This room is held at 13.2° C & 92% Humidity. 

Room #3 (The Maturing Room) is for cheeses up to 6-7 weeks old.  The room is held at 12.3° C & 94% Humidity.  In here, the cheeses are flipped once a week by hand.

Once they enter the maturing area, the wheels make an astonishing trip through many stages of aging. 

Pre-Piercing (First Week)

One Month Old

Three Months Old

Piercing happens on two different occasions by a machine that has a plate spinner.   This spinner turns the wheel of cheese while the ‘piercing’ rods puncture the cheeses at an angle. Before modern technology, this job was done by hand with a fork-style instrument.  Click the video for a display of the awesome piercing power of the "Schneider Poker 2000" :).

12:15 p.m.  Whey is drained from Curd #2.

12:30 p.m.  The curd is hand ladled into the empty vat.  This is done very carefully with a metal scoop.  Great care is taken to make straight, accurate, and consistent scoops of the curd.  It is done one layer at a time for up to 8 layers.  The strength and endurance needed for your arm, hand, and wrist is immense.  This is the moment where the “romance” ends.  It is very, very hard and backbreaking work OR I am simply not man enough.

      

Above:  the experts above show the proper way & whey (drainage).  Below:  I try my hand at it.

      

                                                                                                                                     

1:20 p.m.  The ladling has been finished.  As the whey continues to drain out of Curd #2, the cheesecloth laid on the bottom of the vat, is brought up and laid on top of the curd.

1:30 p.m.  The vat previously occupied by Curd #2 is cleaned and sanitized.  Next, the cheesecloth on Curd #2 is tightened. 

1:55 p.m.  The cheesecloth on Curd #2 is tightened again this time with a set of clips to help keep it in place.  The weight and size of the curd requires a 2-person team.

3:30 p.m.  The clips are released and Curd#2 is cut with a knife in approximately 6 “ by 6” squares.  This allows more whey to drain overnight.  At this point, Curd #2 has become tomorrow’s Curd #1 and the process begins anew the following day.

What a day!  Y'know, cheesemaking is much like that of farming.  There are no "off" days.  There is always something to do, work on, and worry about.  After completing this long day, I am impressed with not only the dedication necessary for this craft, but the work ethic needed to accomplish the physical and mental side of this labor intensive job.  In the instance of the Stichelton Dairy, there is no better example of how quality comes from the head of operations.  Mr. Schneider is not only a man passionate about his craft, but he is mindful of the future of cheesemakers and dedicated to passing on his craft, experience, and knowledge to the the next generation.  I can't say enough about this experience and how doing it has inspired me to share the work necessary in creating a product that a lot of people take for granted when they see it on a shelf.