No Christmas feast is complete without a decent cheeseboard.

<p>Is is even Christmas if you don't have a cheeseboard to follow the festive feast? Peter Hughes explains why his Melton Marble cheese for Asda should be taking pride of place in your selection.</p>
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<p>If <a href="https://www.thecheesehutshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tuxford &amp; Tebbutt’s</a> Dairy Manager, Peter Hughes, was on Mastermind, we’d put money on his specialist subject being cheese. After years in the industry, his knowledge is as strong as an aged Stilton.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>‘My very first day, I was making Red Leicester by hand, and it really introduced me to how difficult and manual the dairy industry is,’ Peter shares as his face lights up. He heads up one of the country’s oldest creameries, Tuxford &amp; Tebbutt, where award-winning cheese has been made since 1780.</p>
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<p>‘I wanted to challenge myself to be one of the best Blue Stilton/Blue cheese makers, so I’d read up on the process and love seeing my cheeses right through from making to grading and then on to packing. There’s been a lot of refining along the way,’ he adds.</p>
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<p>As much as Red Leicester is a staple for any cheese-lover, it’s something a little more special that Peter and the team have created exclusively for Asda this year. The Melton Marble Blue Cheese is a unique concept that Peter himself came up with. ‘It combines two cheeses: a traditional blue Stilton marbled with a Shropshire blue,’ Peter says.</p>
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<p>The process for making the cheese takes just weeks, which in the cheese world is quite short, Peter explains: ‘People think that because it’s got the blue mould it must take months and months, but it’s actually quite a short window. For the marbled blue, we make a batch of blue Stilton next to a batch of Shropshire blue. We fill each of our eight vats with about, litres of pasteurised milk before adding the starter culture,’ Peter says.</p>
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<h2>All blue</h2>
<p>The process for making the cheese takes just weeks, which in the cheese world is quite short, Peter explains: ‘People think that because it’s got the blue mould it must take months and months, but it’s actually quite a short window. For the marbled blue, we make a batch of blue Stilton next to a batch of Shropshire blue. We fill each of our eight vats with about, litres of pasteurised milk before adding the starter culture,’ Peter says.</p>
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<p>After ensuring the acidity of the cheese is correct, it’s carefully salted to add flavour and preserve the curds before combining the two cheeses. There’s a lot of work done behind the scenes to ensure that the amount of moisture in the cheese is just right, too: ‘We have about 155 “recipes” for making cheese and controlling the moisture. We can make adjustments to the recipes based on the percentage of fat and protein in the milk as well as the temperature it’s kept at to ensure it’s just right,’ says Peter.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The cheese is then stored for up to a week in a hoop before moving it to a cooler environment where it matures for the next nine-weeks and is turned regularly, pierced to encourage the mould, and graded for consistent quality before it’s packaged.</p>
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<h2>Cheese heaven</h2>
<p>So, why is Peter backing his cheese to be a winner this Christmas? ‘It has a very creamy and crumbly texture and a well-rounded, mellow flavour with the two distinctive colours marbled together, so it’s very eye-catching. In fact, we’ve had a lot of people come to the dairy who say “I don’t like blue cheese” but we’ve introduced them to the Melton Marble and they’re total converts – it’s really heartwarming!’ he adds.</p>
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<p>And when it comes to building the dream cheeseboard, Peter gives us his expert tips: ‘We always have a Christmas cheeseboard at home with lots of variety – Stilton, Cheddars and bries. The Melton Marble goes very well with fruity flavours, so we’ll definitely have some grapes, dates, apple and chutneys to serve, too. Put it this way, it won’t last long in our house – even my grandchildren are eating it now!’ Best get a few…</p>
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<h2>Inspired by our Tastemakers story?</h2>
<p>Why not try adding something new to your cheeseboard this Christmas?</p>
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<center><img src="https://ui.assets-asda.com/dm/asdagroceries/5054781047728_T1" alt="undefined" style="height: auto;width: auto"/></center>
<center><p><a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/blue-stilton/asda-extra-special-blue-stilton-cheese/910002379839?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_tastemakers-melton-marble-cheese&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Extra Special Blue Stilton Cheese</a></p></center>
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<center><img src="https://ui.assets-asda.com/dm/asdagroceries/5063089019948_T1" alt="undefined" style="height: auto;width: auto"/></center>
<center><p><a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/brie-camembert/asda-extra-special-brie-de-meaux-aop/1000383144410?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_tastemakers-melton-marble-cheese&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Extra Special Brie De Meaux AOP</a></p></center>
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<center><img src="https://ui.assets-asda.com/dm/asdagroceries/5057172681518_T1" alt="undefined" style="height: auto;width: auto"/></center>
<center><p><a href="https://groceries.asda.com/product/extra-mature-vintage-cheese/asda-extra-special-wyke-farms-vintage-cheddar/1000298315151?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_tastemakers-melton-marble-cheese&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Extra Special Wyke Farms Vintage Cheddar</a></p></center>
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<p>Make sure to stock up on everything you need at <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=article_tastemakers-melton-marble-cheese&utm_campaign=Good-Living" target="_blank">Asda</a> or pop into <a href="https://storelocator.asda.com/" target="_blank">your local store</a>.</p>

Cheese - Meet the Tastemakers

By Asda Good Living,25th October 2023

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