Stinking Bishop is said to be derived from a cheese once made by Cistercian monks in the village of Dymock. Monks have always been associated with the production of 'washed rind' cheeses, which are generally full-flavoured with lively aromas. Stinking Bishop is no exception and uses perry as its wash. It has a sticky yellow-orange rind and the cheese is soft and creamy. The flavour is delicious and, although full and distinctive, it is not quite as pungent as the name implies. At certain times of year the cheese becomes firmer and slightly crumbly.

The cheese takes its name from the variety of pear used to make the washing solution. Stinking Bishop pears are one of over 100 varieties which are grown on the Gloucestershire-Herefordshire border. During the cheese-making process the curds are washed in perry before being ladled into moulds. To increase the moisture content and to encourage bacterial activity, salt is not added until the cheeses are removed from the moulds. The cheese is then washed in more perry as it matures. This process takes six to eight weeks.

Be the first to write a customer review for:

You need to login / register to write customer reviews.
Click here to login / register.