Oxford Blue (cheese)

Oxford Blue sold by the Oxford Cheese Company

Oxford Blue is a variety and brand of blue cheese produced in Burford, Oxfordshire, England.[1] It is a soft and creamy cheese that has tangy, aromatic and spicy qualities. Oxford Blue was created by French baron Robert Pouget in 1995, and by 2013, around five tonnes were produced monthly.

Characteristics

Oxford Blue is prepared using unpasteurised cow's milk and is ripened (aged) for 14 to 16 weeks.[2][3] Its rind is sticky and wet in texture.[2] The cheese is soft, creamy and moist, has aromatic, tangy and spicy qualities, and has traces of white wine and chocolate in its flavour.[1][2][3][4] It has been described as a "French-style English blue" that can be used "as an alternative" to Stilton cheese",[2][3] and as similar to Dolcelatte and St Agur cheeses, with a less strong flavour than Roquefort or Stilton.[4]

History

Oxford Blue was created by French baron Robert Pouget in 1995. It was initially produced by Hartington Creamery in Derbyshire until 2009, when the creamery closed, and subsequently in Carmarthenshire, Wales.[1][2][5] In 2013, efforts began to start producing Oxford Blue at a new, small dairy in Burford, Oxfordshire, which was developed in a converted barn.[4][5][6] At the Burford site in 2013, Pouget encountered an initial problem of having nowhere to dispose of waste whey, a byproduct of the cheese's production, which was at around 50,000 litres (11,000 imp gal) each month.[5][7][8] The problem was solved by the introduction of an anaerobic digester to process the whey.[8][7] In April 2013, around five tonnes of Oxford Blue were produced monthly.[1] In 2015 the cheese was distributed by the Oxford Cheese Company.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Waite, Debbie (16 April 2013). "Baron hopes Oxford Blue cheese change will not be in vein". Oxford Mail. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Harbutt, J. (1999). Cheese. Game & Fish Mastery Library. Willow Creek Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-57223-200-6.
  3. 1 2 3 "Blessed are the cheesemakers... and if you taste these British cheeses you'll think so too". Daily Mail. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Waite, Debbie (3 February 2014). "'Cheesy idea' could lead to Oxford Blue sales bonanza". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Derbyshire's Oxford Blue cheese returns from Wales". BBC News. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Oxford Mail: Oxford Blue from a French-born Baron". Cheese Notes. April 17, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Cheesemaker goes green to keep Oxford Blue in county". The Oxford Times. 9 September 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Oxford Blue – soon to be made in Oxford!". The Cheeseboard Magazine. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Teller, M. (2015). The Rough Guide to the Cotswolds: Includes Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. Rough Guide to... Rough Guides. p. pt150. ISBN 978-0-241-24239-1.
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