I saw the purchase invoice for a wheel of Stilton as I checked food invoices. Chef Campos decides what to buy and from whom to buy it but I review all the invoices. I do that to stay familiar with current food prices so I can give customers price estimates quickly for anything not on the menu. And people ask for all sorts of things not on the menu or ask for things we don’t make often…so I need to make sure costs have jumped up or down. (HA! Did ya get that? Costs going down!!! As if!!) Anyway….every so often I see items on invoices which don’t fit the menu or fit banquet events coming up soon and I ask Chef, “what’s the deal on XYZ?”
Now, Stilton cheese can be traced back to the early 18th century and, although it is clear that the recipe used has changed quite dramatically over the years, it remains one of the world’s best known, much loved and very expensive cheeses. Quintessentially English, Stilton has its own Certification Trade Mark and is an EU Protected Food Name.
This means that:
- it can only be produced in the three Counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in Merry Old England
- it must be made from locally produced cow milk that has been pasteurised before use
- it can only be made in a cylindrical shape
- it must be allowed to form its own coat or crust
- it must never be pressed and
- it must have the magical blue veins radiating from the centre of the cheese
Stilton’s unique ‘flavour’ makes it suitable not only for those special occasions when only the best will do , but also but for perking up everyday recipes and snacks. With its slightly open texture and creamy background, it melts and crumbles easily and is one of the few cheeses that freezes well.
In my family, a small wedge of Stilton appeared near Christmas and Dad (a Southern Baptist Deacon) would park a block away and then check the streets both ways before sneaking into our town’s one liquor store to buy a small bottle of Port wine. The cheese was marinated in some of the port for several days and then we children of the house were allowed to taste a tiny portion of the cheese on a piece of Nabisco’s saltine cracker. It was a special treat. Treated as a special occasion by our parents. But, as children will, we thought it was vile, horrible, disgusting, scrape the tongue bad so only the younger kids who didn’t remember last year got suckered into tasting the stuff. We watched in childish disdain as our parents sipped the port wine from incredibly small glasses we only saw at this time of year. They certainly were not on the regular cupboard shelves.
My parents kept an eye on the door as they indulged since my Mother’s Mother lived 5 houses away and dropped in frequently, my Mother’s sister lived 5 houses the other way and dropped in frequently, my Father’s brother lived…well you get the idea. We were sworn to secrecy since we went to church frequently and could spill the beans…or the port…easily. But, we never did. It was ‘family business’ and we kept our mouths shut – not easy for 6 kids.
So, I saw the Stilton on the invoice, made a mental note to ask Chef Campos why he bought it and promptly buried that mental note among many other mental notes, paper notes, etc. And, then I saw the wheel itself sitting out on the Cheese Table for Sunday Champagne Brunch, cut open and looking beautiful, creamy with those bright veins of mold shooting out from the center, I had two reactions:
#1 My mouth started watering
#2 My mind freaked out at putting out this expensive cheese along with all the other expensive items we already include in Sunday Champagne Brunch. We are gonna lose out shirt!!!
I immediately went to Chef and said,”Are you nuts?” Chef was his usual calm, unflappable self. He peaked over his glasses and asked me what was wrong. I went into a speech about how expensive Stilton Cheese was and how everyone was going to take some and it would be gone and how could we afford this and on and on. Chef waited patiently for me to wind down and said,”Come with me.”
We walked into the Isabella Room and Chef said, ”Just watch.” And I did. People swirled and swooped toward the food displays, taking a spoonful here and a fork of this or that. And, everyone looked at the large wheel of Stilton and turned up their nose and moved on. Only a few faces brightened as they saw the cheese, inhaled deeply of the distinctive Stilton aroma, smiled broadly and took just a small piece and a cracker or two and moved on.
Chef finally said,”Yes, it’s an expensive cheese. People who don’t know what
Stilton is can see the sign, see it’s imported, be impressed that it’s available but won’t take any because it’s got that smell. People who do know what Stilton is will be surprised and pleased, know this is special but not over indulge or stuff themselves or waste it. The cost is immaterial. It’s the effect it has on customer satisfaction. We can offset the direct cost with a cheaper salad or dessert selection. It’s good to have the good stuff.” It was a lesson learned.

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