Colston Bassett Dairy is the home of traditional Stilton and Shropshire Blue cheeses. Our dairy has been making outstanding cheese for over one hundred years. The farming co-operative which was first established in 1913, is still in operation today.

The Dairy developed from the vision of a local doctor, Dr William Windley – and we continue to make our cheese in the traditional way, using milk from local farms – all within 1.5 miles of the dairy in the Vale of Belvoir.

Both cheeses are created by a highly skilled and dedicated team of experienced staff – using recipes that have been handed down the generations. Renowned for its consistently excellent flavour, Colston Bassett is enjoyed by lovers of fine cheese all over the world.

Colston Bassett Dairy Consistently Tops the Charts 

2020 started positively when, for the sixth time in seven years, Colston Bassett Stilton was named as one of the top three Best British Cheese Brands in the Guild of Fine Food’s prestigious ‘Best Brands’ survey.

Colston Bassett triumphed once again, with multiple star success at the 2019 Great Taste Awards. Shropshire Blue achieved two Great Taste stars and Stilton took home one. It was also the seventh consecutive year that we’ve collected stars – proof that our hard work pays off!

Adding to the success, Colston Bassett Stilton won Best PDO / PGI Cheese at the 2018 Royal Bath & West Show in Somerset. Our Whole Blue Stilton (animal rennet – which is made exclusively for Neal’s Yard Dairy) took home two golds, with a third gold being awarded to Shropshire Blue.

In 2018, we were shortlisted in the Best Rural Manufacturing Business category of the Midlands Rural Business Awards. The UK’s premier awards programme for rural businesses acknowledges the vital contribution companies make to the development and success of the Rural sector. The nomination is testament to Colston Bassett’s established position as a leading local business.

These latest accolades follow on from a hugely successful 2017 – Colston Bassett Stilton was awarded a Silver medal at the 2017 International Cheese Awards, where Shropshire Blue also took Bronze. At the UK’s largest dedicated artisan cheese fair in Melton Mowbray, Colston Bassett brought home the Best Stilton Cheese Award and at the 2017 Newark & Nottinghamshire Christmas Primestock Show, Blue Stilton was crowned Best Cheese in Show.

Jason Hinds, Sales Director at Neal’s Yard Dairy, London; “With only four cheesemakers in the last one hundred years, Colston Bassett has maintained a tradition and quality of cheesemaking that is unparalleled in the Stilton world. It is the only Stilton that Neal’s Yard Dairy has carried for the last thirty three years, and is a favourite amongst our customers around the world, particularly in the USA and France.”