Head to Welbeck to celebrate a great British cheese

4 October 2007

The Welbeck Farm Shop, near Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, is offering food lovers the opportunity to learn all about the rising star of the British cheeseboard, Stichelton, as it helps celebrate British Cheese Week with its own free-to-attend event, between October 6-7.

Stichelton is made in a dairy based on the Welbeck Estate, using milk from Collingthwaite Farm’s Friesian-Holstein herd. It is the first organic raw milk cheese since the late 1960s and has already wowed top food critics, including the Daily Mail’s Tom Parker-Bowles and chef, Rick Stein.

This blue-veined cheese has a creamy, lactic taste, gentle yet full flavour, buttery texture and complex and rich composition. Named after the Saxon name for the town of Stilton, it is a blast from the past, based on unpasteurised, organic milk and animal rennet.

Limited production Stichelton is the selection of discerning food lovers, although The Welbeck Farm Shop’s cheese-counter boasts other greats, including Colston Bassett Stilton, Lincolnshire Poacher, Gubeen and Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire.

The cheesemaker himself, Joe Schneider, will be giving talks at the shop on both October 6 and 7, explaining the careful process underpinning his acclaimed, new cheese. Shoppers will have the opportunity to taste and compare Stichelton to other cheeses, perhaps even taking part in a fun ‘guess the cheese’ taste competition.

The knowledgeable staff at the superbly stocked shop will be on hand to advise on food choices to accompany Stichelton, from English Plum Pickle, to fennel crackers. If partial to game and quality meat, they will also have the chance to buy the season’s first venison, quiz the butchers about the best cuts for a dinner party, or sample one of the range of speciality sausages.

The Welbeck Farm Shop’s mission is to sell the best produce from the Estate first and then from producers within a thirty-mile radius. It has fabulous food choices, from the freshest vegetables to innovative ready meals and from home-made jams and pickles, to tasty pies and pastries.

Selling foods in season is also its policy, giving gourmet shoppers and keen cooks alike a true taste of the Nottinghamshire countryside.