Cheeses of Melton Mowbray
A Leicestershire market town at the heart of Stilton country, the only three counties where Stilton may be made.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: April to October; winter for Stilton and port.
Melton Mowbray is a market town in the rolling hunting country of north-east Leicestershire, famous for pork pies and Stilton. The blue cheese is named after a village in Cambridgeshire where it was sold to travellers on the Great North Road, but it was made around Melton. By law, Stilton may only be made in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and a handful of dairies keep it going.
Stilton
Stilton is made from pasteurised cow's milk, its curd left to drain naturally and never pressed, then formed into tall cylinders. After a few weeks the cheese is pierced with steel needles, letting air in so blue veins can grow through the creamy paste. It ages for at least nine weeks, and the rind is crusty and rough. White Stilton is the unveined fresh version.
The town and its villages
Melton has a weekly market dating back centuries, a large parish church and the pie shops that make pork pies with hand-raised hot water pastry. The villages of the Vale of Belvoir, such as Long Clawson and Colston Bassett, hold Stilton dairies. Red Leicester, the orange cheese of the county, is also made in the area.
A trail idea for Melton Mowbray
- Melton market One of the oldest markets in England, for cheese and pies.
- Pork pie shop Taste a Melton Mowbray pork pie with Stilton.
- Vale of Belvoir Drive through the villages where Stilton is made.
- Belvoir Castle The castle above the vale.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Melton Mowbray" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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