Skip to content
Food
Link copied to clipboard

Good Taste: Stichelton is a cheese worth the splurge

The world loves Colston Basset Stilton - maybe too much? This star producer of the classic British blue is currently experiencing tight supply.

Stichelton is creamier and brighter than Stilton. ( Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer )
Stichelton is creamier and brighter than Stilton. ( Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer )Read more

The world loves Colston Basset Stilton - maybe too much?

This star producer of the classic British blue is currently experiencing tight supply, according to Emilio Mignucci of Di Bruno Bros., who says it became so standard on holiday cheese boards that there's since been a couple-month hitch in the supply chain.

So now is a prime moment to step up (and pay up, $10 more a pound) for Stichelton, which launched in 2006 as essentially a revival of raw milk Stilton, which shifted exclusively to pasteurized milk 1989.

Made near Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire by (no, not Robin Hood, but . . .) New York-born Joe Schneider, Stichelton is at once creamier and brighter than Stilton, whose mellow tang makes it the tweed of blues.

Stichelton gets its edgier, sharper taste from earlier piercings with more mold-inducing needles. But to me, Stichelton's great luxury lies in its sublime texture, a weightier, lusher version of Stilton's trademark fudginess.

At this price, Stichelton is more an occasional splurge than a regular habit. Thankfully, the Colston Basset shortage won't last long.

- Craig LaBan
Stichelton, on sale for $37.99 (normally $39.99) lb. through May 14, available at all Di Bruno Bros. locations (except Comcast Center).