Blue Wensleydale

Blue Wensleydale

Until the 1920's, Wensleydale cheese was almost entirely recognized as the blue veined cheese we now know as Blue Wensleydale.

The old-fashioned, matured Wensleydale made in the farmhouses throughout the dale, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, would naturally have 'blued'. However, as cheese was made on a factory scale in the mid 1900's and beyond, the white, crumbly variety became the fashion and the blue variety became extinct in the dale.

Wensleydale Dairy Products are now reviving the manufacture of this 'old fashioned' type of Wensleydale cheese, by emulating ancient traditional recipes. Blue Wensleydale cheese is lightly pressed for only 24 hours before being bound in a muslin bandage. It is then transferred to a humidified maturing room, akin to a farmhouse or even monastery cellar: dark, cool & moist. The cheese is turned regularly, pierced to facilitate blue mould development and matured for at least six weeks.

The finished cheese is a delicacy; inside the golden rind a close textured blue veined cheese is revealed. Blue Wensleydale has a delicate yet full flavor, not strong or acidic, with an almost honeyed aftertaste. The celebrated Blue Veined Wensleydale requires six months to mature. It has a smooth, creamy texture similar to Stilton but with a more mellow flavor that will appeal to newcomers & connoisseurs alike.