The Stilton Cheese Makers' Association (SCMA) has unveiled the
very first Master Stilton Graders.
Master Grader status recognises those who have at least ten
years' experience of grading Stilton; have been assessed on two separate
occasions by the SCMA's Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) inspector and
attended at least ten SCMA grading sessions where the applicant's assessment of
a range of cheese is recorded and checked for consistency.
Billy Kevan from Colston Bassett Dairy and Amanda Hobbs from
Cropwell Bishop Creamery are the first people in the world to be awarded this
elite title and are both responsible for ensuring that only the finest quality
blue cheese is labelled as Stilton.
Furthermore, Howard Lucas (Cropwell Bishop Dairy), Keith Hunter (Long Clawson
Dairy), Kim Kettle (Long Clawson Dairy) and Adrian Cartlidge (Long Clawson
Dairy) have all become Qualified Stilton Graders and now start the long
apprenticeship to Master Grader status.
Qualified Graders are awarded after at least three years
experience in Stilton grading with two PDO inspections and a minimum of six SCMA
grading sessions. A further 9 graders are undergoing training and aiming for
qualified grader status in the next 3 years.
Nigel White, Secretary for the SCMA, said: "These people
are the world's very first qualified Stilton cheese graders which is a
tremendous honour. The Stilton graders inspect each Stilton that is produced,
ensuring that the quality is at its very best. Cheese lovers across the globe
have these elite few to thank for ensuring that Stilton remains the King of
English cheese."
The 6 licensed dairy companies produce more than 1 million
whole Stilton cheeses each year with each one subject to grading and assessment.
The dairies produce around 10,000 tonnes of Blue and White Stilton cheese a
year, of which around 15% are exported; an estimated 30% of all UK sales are
made in the four weeks before Christmas. Blue Stilton accounts for more than
half of all blue cheese sales in the UK and can only be produced in Derbyshire,
Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire from locally sourced milk. It is a Protected
Designation of Origin and has its own Certification Trade Mark aimed at
protecting the integrity of the name and the recipe.