A quaint little story here which could completely change the way we think of the history of our cheese forever! Stilton will never be quite the same again! Or perhaps it will… From BBC News:
An historian in Cambridgeshire has challenged the East Midlands’ exclusive right to produce Stilton cheese after discovering a 17th Century recipe.
Richard Landy was researching the Bell Inn in the village of Stilton, when he found a recipe for Stilton cheese.
Entitled “Recipe for Stilton”, Mr Landy said it confirmed the cheese originated in Cambridgeshire.
On the cheese theme, I thought I’d take the opportunity to post a recipe from 1591 for cheese tart. I love reading historical recipes – the turn of phrase is always so poetic. This one is from A.W. :A Book of Cookrye Very necessary for all such as delight therin
To make a Tarte of Cheese: Take good fine paste and drive it as thin as you can. Then take cheese, pare it, mince it, and bray it in a mortar with the yolks of Egs til it be like paste, then put it in a faire dish with clarified butter and then put it abroad into your paste and cover it with a faire cut cover, and so bake it; that doon, serve it forth.
http://alphainventions.com