Speciality-Food-Magazine-November-December-2024

to multiple generations, ensuring the love of blue cheese continues to flourish. Why is blue cheese so important? When consumers are compiling their cheeseboards, they’re looking for variety – texturally, visually and from a flavour perspective too, says leading cheese and dairy expert Patrick McGuigan, advisor to the EU’s ‘More Than Only Food and Drink’ campaign. And blue cheese strikes the right chord across each of these profiles. “It’s no secret that blue cheese can be a bit divisive, which is why it is T o compose a cheeseboard or grazing table without blue cheese would be akin to removing the melody from the lyrics of a song. Rippled with undulating threads of slate, cerulean or cobolt blue veining, and alternating in variety from meltingly dense, crumbly and saline sweet to fudgy, intense and piquant, it is the backbone of any good cheese counter. Although it’s known to be one of the oldest cheeses in the world (discovered as a ‘happy accident’ as Penicillium bacteria wove its way through resting curds kept in damp, humid conditions) blues are far from being relics of the past. Today’s artisanmakers, both in Britain and across the world, are championing their makes to ever younger audiences, devising campaigns and formats that appeal specialityfoodmagazine.com 31 PATRICK MCGUIGAN CHEESE EXPERT PRIYA TAYLOR CLAWSON FARMS CAROLINE BELL SHEPHERDS PURSE COMMENTATORS It’s no secret that blue cheese can be a bit divisive, which is why it is important for retailers to educate customers to show them the variety of blue cheese that is available PATRICK MCGUIGAN, CHEESE EXPERT SINGING THE BLUES Bold and dynamic, blue cheese is a deli counter essential. Speciality Food finds out from cheesemakers and cheese experts why its appeal endures, and how it’s being marketed to a whole new generation of cheese lovers important for retailers to educate customers to show them the variety available, and how the flavours differ dependent on how and where they are produced,” Patrick adds. “For example, Roquefort PDO from the South of France is made of sheep’s milk. It is spicy and salty, with a fondant-like texture, whilst Gorgonzola Dolce PDO from Italy is soft, creamy andmild, with a fruity, boozy flavour.” The point of a cheeseboard, Patrick adds, is to bring something for everyone to the table, “and this is very much the case with blue cheese”. The best of British Storytelling and romance are ingrained within British artisan dairies, and it’s these stories, told at the counter, which can captivate and entice shoppers to try... and buy. One of the most compelling stories is of origin, especially if there is a PDO attached to a product, as in the case of Stilton. Being able to explain the lineage and personality of a cheese is an evocative thing says Priya Taylor of Clawson Farms. “Blue Stilton holds a great amount of history for Britain. Truly iconic, it can only be made to strict regulations in the counties of Leicestershire,