Stilton is England's most celebrated cheese, a rich, creamy blue cheese made from pasteurised cow's milk and recognisable by its distinctive ivory paste threaded with blue-green veins and its characteristic wrinkled, crumbly natural rind. Unlike Roquefort, genuine Stilton is legally required to be made only in the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, protected under both UK and EU geographic indication law, with the specific curious detail that it cannot legally be made in the actual village of Stilton itself, which lies outside the protected production area. Stilton is traditionally associated with Christmas and festive occasions in Britain, often served alongside port as a classic end-of-meal pairing. Nutritionally, it offers strong protein and calcium alongside a notably rich, dense flavour and texture. Adjust the slider for your serving size.
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Serving size:30g
123Calories (kcal)
0.0Carbs (g)
7.1Protein (g)
0.0Fibre (g)
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📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
Nutrient
Amount
% Daily value
Level
Calories
410 kcal
21%
Carbohydrates
0.1g
<1%
Protein
23.7g
47%
Total fat
35.0g
—
Saturated fat
22.0g
—
GI
0 — Zero
—
Calcium
315mg
32%
Vitamin B12
1.0µg
42%
Phosphorus
300mg
30%
Sodium
1600mg
—
Zinc
2.5mg
21%
Vitamin A
292µg
32%
Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
0
Glycaemic IndexLow GIStilton has a GI of approximately 0 — effectively zero. As a fermented, aged blue cheese with minimal carbohydrate content, it has no meaningful effect on blood glucose regardless of how it's served.
0 · Low (<55)Medium (56–69)High (70+) · 100
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
Protein
23.7g/100g
7.1g per 30g serve
Calcium
315mg
32% RDI per 100g
Vitamin B12
1.0µg
42% RDI per 100g
GI
0 — Zero
Negligible carbohydrate
Phosphorus
300mg
30% RDI per 100g
Sodium
1600mg
Very high — typical of blue cheese
✅ Health benefits
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Exceptional protein density — 23.7g per 100g
Stilton provides substantial complete protein, with a 30g serve delivering over 7g — among the higher protein contributions of any cheese in this guide, reflecting its dense, rich production method.
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Strong vitamin B12 — 42% of daily needs per 100g
Stilton delivers 1.0µg of B12 per 100g, supporting nerve function and red blood cell formation from a modest cheese-board serving, alongside its distinctive rich flavour.
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Meaningful calcium contribution — 32% of daily needs per 100g
At 315mg of calcium per 100g, Stilton provides a genuine contribution to bone mineral intake — a 30g serve delivers approximately 95mg, worth noting from a flavour-forward cheese-board portion.
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Zero glycaemic impact from its aged, fermented production
With just 0.1g of carbohydrate per 100g, Stilton has an effective GI of zero, fitting comfortably into low-carbohydrate eating patterns without any meaningful blood glucose consequence.
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⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
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Very high sodium — 1600mg per 100g
A 30g serve of Stilton provides approximately 480mg of sodium, over a fifth of the daily recommended limit from a modest cheese-board portion. For people managing hypertension, Stilton's traditional association with generous festive serving warrants particular portion awareness during holiday periods when consumption often increases.
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Very high saturated fat — 22g per 100g, among the richest cheeses in this guide
A 30g serve provides approximately 6.6g of saturated fat, close to a third of the daily recommended limit. Stilton's traditional festive serving context, often alongside other rich holiday foods, means cumulative saturated fat intake across a celebratory meal is worth genuine awareness.
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Lactose intolerance — generally well tolerated due to fermentation
Like most fermented blue cheeses, Stilton's production process consumes much of its lactose, meaning many people with mild-to-moderate lactose intolerance tolerate it reasonably well, though individual sensitivity varies and more significant intolerance may still cause symptoms.
✅ For most healthy adults, Stilton enjoyed in traditional small cheese-board portions offers strong protein, calcium and B12 alongside its distinctive rich flavour. Its very high sodium and saturated fat content are the main considerations, particularly worth noting during festive periods when serving sizes and frequency often increase.
⚕️ General nutritional information only — not a substitute for professional medical or dietary advice.
🛒 How to select & buy stilton
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Genuine PDO Stilton vs generic blue cheese
Genuine Stilton carries Protected Designation of Origin status under both UK and (historically) EU law, legally restricted to production within Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire using traditional methods — look for the PDO certification mark on imported product. Notably, Stilton cannot legally be made in the village of Stilton itself, as that village lies outside the protected production counties, a curious historical quirk of the designation's boundaries.
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Blue Stilton vs White Stilton
Blue Stilton: the classic, most recognised style, with characteristic blue-green veining and a rich, tangy, complex flavour — the version reflected in this page's nutrition figures. White Stilton: a milder, un-veined version without the blue mould culture, sometimes sold plain or blended with fruit (like apricot or cranberry) — a genuinely different eating experience, less internationally recognised than the classic blue style.
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Traditional serving — the classic Christmas pairing
Stilton is traditionally served at the end of a British Christmas meal, classically paired with port wine, alongside crackers, celery and sometimes walnuts or pears — the port's sweetness balancing Stilton's sharp, salty intensity. This pairing remains one of the most enduring and recognised traditional food combinations in British festive culture.
🇦🇺 Australian tip: Genuine imported English Stilton is available at Australian specialty delicatessens and the premium cheese sections of major supermarkets, particularly around the Christmas period when demand rises significantly, typically priced $10-18 per 200g depending on import costs. Australia's strong British cultural heritage means Stilton, alongside the traditional port pairing, remains a recognised and sought-after Christmas cheese-board item in many Australian households, particularly among those with British ancestry or those following traditional British-style Christmas dinner customs, despite Australia's warmer December climate contrasting notably with Stilton's traditional Northern Hemisphere winter serving context.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Refrigerator
3-4 weeks (wrapped properly)
Wrap in foil or wax paper, keep away from other foods
Wrap Stilton in foil or wax paper rather than plastic wrap, which can trap excess moisture. Store away from other foods given its strong aroma, in the least cold part of the fridge. A wine-soaked cloth wrap is a traditional method some cheesemongers use for extra protection during aging and storage.
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Freezer
Up to 6 months (texture becomes more crumbly)
Best suited to cooking applications after thawing
Stilton can be frozen, though its texture becomes noticeably more crumbly after thawing — well suited to melting into sauces or crumbling into cooked dishes rather than fresh cheese-board eating after freezing.
Stilton's specific origins are somewhat debated among food historians, though the cheese's name became firmly associated with the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire during the 18th century, when it was sold and popularised at coaching inns along the Great North Road, a major stagecoach route connecting London to the north of England — meaning the cheese was traded and made famous through Stilton village even though, notably, it has likely never actually been produced there, with production instead concentrated in the neighbouring counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire from the cheese's earliest documented history. This distinction between where Stilton is named after and where it is actually produced closely parallels Gouda's similar historical pattern, where a cheese takes its name from its historic trading and market town rather than its actual production location. Stilton received formal legal protection restricting its name to production within these three specific counties, a protection that notably and specifically excludes the village of Stilton itself from ever legally producing cheese under that name.
Stilton has held a special, almost ceremonial place in English festive food culture for centuries, with its traditional pairing alongside port wine as an end-of-meal course becoming one of the most recognised and enduring elements of a traditional British Christmas dinner, a status the cheese has maintained consistently through significant changes in broader British dining habits and food culture. Its protected geographic status, legally restricting production to the three specific counties, has helped maintain both quality consistency and Stilton's premium market positioning internationally, including in Australia, where the cheese remains particularly sought after around the Christmas period among Australians observing traditional British-style festive food customs, despite the obvious climatic contrast between Australia's summer Christmas and Stilton's traditional association with cold Northern Hemisphere winter celebration, reflecting the strength of Stilton's specific cultural and culinary tradition even when transplanted to a very different seasonal context.
Stilton cheese cannot legally be made in the village of Stilton itself — one of cheese naming's more curious historical quirks
Despite taking its name directly from the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire, where the cheese was historically sold and popularised at coaching inns along a major stagecoach route, genuine Stilton's protected geographic designation restricts legal production to the neighbouring counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire — meaning the village of Stilton itself falls outside the legally protected production area and cannot produce cheese under the Stilton name today, a genuinely curious historical outcome of how the protection boundaries were originally drawn based on where production actually occurred rather than where the cheese happened to be named after and sold.
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Stilton and port has become one of the most enduring and recognised traditional food and wine pairings in British festive culture
The specific tradition of serving Stilton alongside port wine as an end-of-meal course, particularly at Christmas, has remained a remarkably consistent and recognised element of British festive dining for a very long time, with the port's sweetness providing a classic, complementary contrast to Stilton's sharp, salty, tangy intensity. This specific pairing tradition has proven notably durable even as broader British dining customs and festive food trends have evolved considerably over the same period, remaining instantly recognisable as a quintessentially British Christmas food tradition.
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Stilton's protected geographic status legally restricts production to just three specific English counties
Genuine Stilton's Protected Designation of Origin status legally restricts its production specifically to Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, requiring adherence to traditional production methods within this defined geographic area — a protection that has helped maintain quality consistency and Stilton's premium market reputation both within the UK and internationally, similar in legal principle to protections held by Parmigiano-Reggiano, genuine Greek feta and Roquefort, though each protection's specific geographic and production requirements differ based on that cheese's own particular historical production tradition.
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White Stilton, a milder un-veined version, exists alongside the classic blue variety but is far less internationally recognised
Beyond the classic blue-veined Stilton most people picture when the cheese is mentioned, White Stilton — the same base cheese made without the Penicillium mould culture that creates the characteristic blue veining — is also produced, typically with a considerably milder, less complex flavour than blue Stilton, and is sometimes blended with dried fruit like apricot or cranberry for additional flavour variations. White Stilton remains far less internationally recognised and consumed than its blue counterpart, which has become so strongly associated with the Stilton name that many consumers are unaware the milder white version exists at all.
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Stilton remains a genuinely sought-after Christmas cheese in Australia despite the notable climate mismatch with its traditional Northern Hemisphere winter serving context
Australia's significant population of British heritage has sustained genuine ongoing demand for traditional British Christmas foods including Stilton, particularly around the December festive period, despite the obvious contrast between Stilton's traditional association with cold Northern Hemisphere winter celebration and Australia's warm summer Christmas climate. This demonstrates how strongly rooted specific cultural food traditions can remain even when transplanted to a very different seasonal and climatic context, with many Australian households maintaining traditional British-style Christmas dinner customs, Stilton and port included, regardless of the December heat outside.