Bluing isn’t just reserved for so-called ‘blue’ cheeses. Every so often, I’ll cut into a wedge of Montgomery’s Cheddar or Appleby’s Cheshire and find unexpected blue streaks running through the paste. It’s one of those little quirks that makes handmade cheese so fascinating and so incredibly amazing. These accidental blues are completely natural and safe to eat, simply the result of a bit of air finding its way into the cheese and mingling with the mould spores already present.

So how does it happen? The truth is, even the cheesemakers aren’t always completely sure, but the most likely culprit is the regular turning of the cheese wheels as they mature. Every now and then, a wheel might get a gentle knock or a bump on the shelf, which can cause tiny cracks to appear. That’s when the bluing can begin. The natural mould that drifts through the air in damp, dark places like maturing rooms finds its way in and gets to work.

I tend to see this most often in crumbly or brittle cheeses. British territorial cheeses like Cheshire, Wensleydale, Lancashire, and, naturally, Cheddar all seem to have a fondness for picking up a touch of blue every so often.

Every now and then, these accidental blue veins turn out to be absolutely delicious, and I know plenty of customers who keep an eye out for them. It’s just one of those lovely surprises that make handmade cheese so special. No two batches are ever quite the same, and sometimes even a single wheel can be a real one-off.

When I was reading up on bluing to write this post, I discovered that when Appleby’s Cheshire develops a really generous streak of blue, it’s known as “Green Fade” and is sometimes sold as a unique cheese in its own right. Every cloud…