A mini history of Stilton Cheese

My post content A mini-history of Stilton cheese - An important road, a savvy innkeeper and a female entrepreneur of the 1700s, it’s quite the story.

The history of Stilton is a story that I love to share, it shows the direct correlation in human history between industrial development and how that impacts our food, our farming and our food production.

We know that Stilton cheese has enjoyed a rather extensive and interesting past that’s kept its popularity alive for well over 250 years. Sadly, many of the exact facts surrounding how and where Stilton was first developed have been lost over time. There are patchy mentions in historical texts, but these are difficult to piece together, along with direct mentions of a similar cheese in and near the village of Stilton, starting around the early 18th century. What we do know for sure is that The Bell Inn, situated in the centre of Stilton village played a leading role in its rise in popularity, starting around the mid 1700’s.

Two leading figures starred in this entrepreneurial adventure that put Stilton on the map: Cooper Thornhill, an innovative landlord of The Bell Inn between 1730-1759, and Frances Pawlett, a local skilled cheesemaker, dairywoman and entrepreneur of her time. Between them, they managed to exponentially increase Stilton’s popularity throughout the UK and make their local cheese a sought-after luxury treat that meant travellers on the Great North Road would stop for a visit at The Bell Inn. After trying the cheese they’d then take their experience across the UK, spreading the word far and wide

Achieving this grand endeavour in a time before national newspapers even existed was no mean feat; advertising was purely based on word of mouth, and Cooper Thornhill made sure everyone who visited his Inn heard about the local cheese.

To understand the full story and how impressive this early marketing was, one must understand travel in the UK at that time. During the 1700s, travel throughout the UK was slow and arduous; poor quality roads and a lack of roads outside of main towns made transport dangerous and difficult. Road reforming decrees were issued by King Charles II and the toll-road acts of the 18th century started the process of UK roads becoming more connected and increasing the ease of travel. The town of Stilton sat alongside the Great North Road, one of the oldest coaching routes throughout the UK, allowing access between London and Edinburgh. Today, we know this same road as the A1/A1M, which mainly parallels the original route of the Great North Road but now bypasses towns rather than going through them.

As the popularity of their superior product grew, so did their production needs. Frances Pawlett of local Wymondham was originally the main cheesemaker of this endeavour, but she could no longer keep up with customer demand alone when popular London Cheesemongers were now demanding wheels upon wheels be transported to London. She began to rally the local women, teaching them the recipe and adding more cheesemakers to their production team, this allowed for increased distribution to London, further increasing Stilton’s popularity and higher demand as more people tried it. As popularity grew, Cooper Thornhill expanded his business too, buying stagecoaches and more coach houses along the Great North Road. At the height of its popularity, he owned a fleet of stagecoaches and expanded his business owning a second inn, The Angel.

We don’t know for sure what sort of cheese Stilton was in the 1700s or whether the blue veining was accidental fault lines from cracks in the cheese or purposefully created. It is, however, certain that this point in history was the first commercialisation of Stilton cheese and was certainly the start of its story, leading to the Stilton that we know and love today.

Interesting fact for you on why Stilton is often associated with Christmas. Stilton was traditionally produced during the summer months when the milk was at its richest from cattle grazing the quality summer pasture. Stilton then needs three months to mature after being made into cheese, meaning the best quality Stilton from summer grazing is always ready just in time for Christmas. The same now as it was a few hundred years ago, this is the exact reason why Stilton is associated with being eaten at Christmas time.

Pairing suggestions: You’re pretty spoilt for choice with pairing suggestions for this one, most full-bodied red wine, port, sauternes, sweet sherry.