Shropshire Blue is made in several dairies around England, but our favorite comes from Colston Bassett Dairy. Dr. William Windley founded Colston Bassett as a cooperative dairy in 1913 with sixteen farmers to pool their resources and make cheese as a way to add value to their supply of liquid milk. They started by making a cheddar-like cheese since Stilton was seen as too extravagant for wartime. In fact, Colton Bassett only started making Stilton and Shropshire Blue consistently in the 1950s when England’s economy began to stabilize. Since then, their reputation for excellent blue cheese has spread, not only throughout Europe, but around the world.

Shropshire Blue is essentially an orange Stilton, although the annatto seed dye does soften and smooth the texture and add a touch of savory flavor to the paste. The sunny orange color also makes Shropshire bloody beautiful! Fortunately, it is as scrummy as it is attractive! Meaty, yeasty, briny, but not too strong, it is one of our favorite cheeses to crumble over a grilled steak because the umami flavor in the cheese enhances that magic flavor in the meat. When you taste a piece, we’re sure you’ll be chuffed, proclaiming “blimey, that’s bloody delicious!”