Stilton

The savouriness of stilton makes a great addition in small cubes to a salad and it makes for a great pairing with sweeter stone fruits. It is very amenable to combining with butter, which softens its salty savouriness. A dribble of fine, clear, floral honey onto stilton is a simple but effective accompaniment. The classic way to eat stilton, of course, is with a glass of port, although other dessert wines such as Tokaji, or Satuternes also pair very well.

How to store stilton

Stilton should be kept cool, with any cut surface protected from the air.

Where to buy stilton

Stilton is available year round, usually in pre-cut portions but plenty of speciality cheese stores and counters still buy the whole barrel and slice it to order.

Choose the best stilton

Stilton cheese, the full-sized one, takes three months to mature to perfection. Those made with rich autumn milk are thought best, hence why stilton is so featured at Christmas time.

A perfect cheese is neither white and chalky, meaning it’s immature; nor yellow and oily, nor with a sharp nose, both of which mean it's over ripe.

Most stiltons available are pasteurised but a cheese called stichelton is made the same way with unpasteurised milk; try it if you see it and decide which you prefer.