Stilton Drizzled with Port (the Dinner-End Savoury)
A blue-veined Stilton, creamy and powerful, slowly enjoyed with a glass of aged port: the British 'savoury', which closes the meal not with sweetness but with a cheese of character, the fruit of a long ageing that preserves it.
A blue-veined Stilton, creamy and powerful, slowly enjoyed with a glass of aged port: the British 'savoury', which closes the meal not with sweetness but with a cheese of character, the fruit of a long ageing that preserves it.
When the ladies have retired and the cigar is lit, comes the hour of the savoury—that very English moment when one crowns the dinner not with a sweet, but with a cheese of character. My Stilton, blue-veined, I douse with an old port that I let slip slowly, as one lets a grave decision mature. Beware of imitators: a true Stilton commands respect, it is not to be rushed. It is there, in the smoke and dark wine, that the best conversations of the Kingdom take place.
- •Aged farmhouse Stilton — a generous slice (the cheese)
- •Old port (tawny or vintage) — a glass (pairing and aroma)
- •Dry biscuits (water biscuits, oatcakes) — a few (base)
- •Walnuts and celery sticks — to taste (fresh accompaniment)
Stilton Drizzled with Port (the Dinner-End Savoury)
A blue-veined Stilton, creamy and powerful, slowly enjoyed with a glass of aged port: the British 'savoury', which closes the meal not with sweetness but with a cheese of character, the fruit of a long ageing that preserves it.
Why this dish? Stilton, a long-aged blue cheese, and port formed Churchill's end-of-evening ritual: it was in the cigar smoke and dark wine that his most memorable table conversations took place.
When the ladies have retired and the cigar is lit, comes the hour of the savoury—that very English moment when one crowns the dinner not with a sweet, but with a cheese of character. My Stilton, blue-veined, I douse with an old port that I let slip slowly, as one lets a grave decision mature. Beware of imitators: a true Stilton commands respect, it is not to be rushed. It is there, in the smoke and dark wine, that the best conversations of the Kingdom take place.
Ingredients (period version)
- Aged farmhouse Stilton — a generous slice (the cheese)
- Old port (tawny or vintage) — a glass (pairing and aroma)
- Dry biscuits (water biscuits, oatcakes) — a few (base)
- Walnuts and celery sticks — to taste (fresh accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Stilton (or bold blue cheese) — 150 g (the cheese)
- Tawny port — 1 glass (60 ml) (pairing)
- Plain crackers or oatcakes — 8 (base)
- Walnut halves — a handful (crunch)
- Celery sticks — 2 (freshness)
Method
- Remove Stilton from the fridge 1 hour before serving to let it reveal its aromas.
- Present it as a piece, optionally hollowed out with a well where a dash of port is poured to soak into the paste (traditional method of English clubs).
- Arrange dry biscuits, walnuts, and celery around.
- Serve the port in a small glass, to be sipped slowly with the cheese.
How it was made : Stilton has been made since the 18th century and owes its interest to its long ageing, which preserves it for several months and concentrates its flavours. In clubs and grand houses, it was sometimes drizzled with port poured directly into the heart of the wheel.
The contemporary twist : Serve the Stilton on a slate with a drizzle of honey and a few figs: sweetness against power, to soften the palate for younger ones.
Sources : Cita Stelzer, Dinner with Churchill: Policy-Making at the Dinner Table (2011)
Winston Churchill · Charactorium