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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from England, the Peak District within fifty miles of Dovedale

Dovedale Cheese PDODovedale

Pasteurised whole cow milk is set with Hartington's own starter and blue mould cultures and rennet, then cut, drained and filled into hoops. The cheeses are brined, pierced and ripened at 8–14 °C, usually for three to four weeks, into a soft, creamy blue. Brining a blue cheese is unusual in Britain. Made in 6 steps over 21 days – 28 days. The longest step, pierce and mature, takes 21–28 days (Defra) and runs at 8–14 °C (Defra). Salt is 2–4 % (Defra). Starter lactic bacteria and Blue mould culture do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step21–28 daysSet[dovedale-spec]Pierce and mature
Temperature8–14 °CSet[dovedale-spec]Pierce and mature
Salt2–4 %Set[dovedale-spec]Brine
AciditypH 5–6Set[dovedale-spec]Pierce and mature
Fully documentedCheese21 days – 28 daysPDO (EU, 1996; UK protected name since 2021)Family: Blue-veined cheese family (Roquefort as template)More blue cheesesMore from United Kingdom

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceTypical content of the finished cheese as the specification lists it; one cheese weighs 2.0–2.75 kg (average 2.5 kg).
96.5 %Whole cow milk, pasteurised[dovedale-spec]
Small amountStarter culture · Strains developed at Hartington[dovedale-spec]
TraceRennet[dovedale-spec]
TraceBlue mould culture · Strains developed at Hartington[dovedale-spec]
3 %Salt[dovedale-spec]
StarterHartington starter culture and blue mould culture

Total time across the recorded steps: 21 days – 28 days

Start
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What changes: Heat kills most microbes in the milk before the cultures go in

Step 1 of 6
Pasteurise local milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Moulds

Milk comes from local farms; at peak times milk from Shropshire and Cheshire is blended in.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Dovedale is a soft blue from the Stilton makers' creamery at Hartington, but it is dipped in brine during making, which the specification says no other UK blue does. It is softer and younger than Stilton, sent out at three to four weeks.

Milk
Pasteurised whole cow milk from the Peak District
Paste
Soft blue; moisture 40–60 %, fat 25–35 %, salt 2.0–4.0 %, pH 5.0–6.0 (target ranges at despatch)
Ripening
Normally 3–4 weeks from manufacture
Size
Cylinder 60–80 mm high, about 200 mm across, 2.0–2.75 kg

Related ferments

Safety

Made from pasteurised milk. The specification tests each lot at despatch, rejecting cheese with Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella in 25 g, or more than 100 S. aureus or 500 E. coli per gram. It ships at 5 °C with a 32-day shelf life.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli, each with a limit in the specification's despatch tests.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Hartington in Derbyshire has made blue cheese since about 1870, when its creamery opened, and began making Stilton in 1886. Dairy Crest, then the creamery's owner, registered Dovedale as a PDO in 1996, citing the three staff who make it and their inherited skills.

  1. [dovedale-spec] Defra, Product specification "Dovedale Cheese" PDO, UK protected food names registerspec
  2. [dovedale-sum1994] Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Application for registration under Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92, Dovedale Cheese, summary sheet UK/0300 (eAmbrosia)spec