Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards invited the Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for Farming, Fisheries and Food, Victoria Prentis, to visit Cropwell Bishop Creamery.
Ruth and Victoria were given a tour of the site to see the cheese making process first hand and heard about the issues that currently affect Stilton and blue cheese production.
They were able to taste some of the delicious tangy Stilton, Shropshire Blue and Beauvale cheese made by the dairy.
The family owned creamery, run by Robin Skailes is a thriving example of how competitive iconic British food exports, such as Stilton, can be.
Ruth said: “Advocating the quality of local producers is something that I feel very strongly about. Britain has a fantastic range of food and drink products and we’re going to be doing everything we can to push them into new markets around the world”.
The Cropwell Bishop Creamery exports to markets all over the world including Australia and Japan.
However, the company’s biggest exporting partner is the United States so the business has felt the benefits of last year’s deal with the US to cut tariffs on exports such as Stilton. It is a great example of a British family firm’s exporting success.
Robin Skailes said: “I was delighted to show Ruth and Victoria our dairy and how we make our hand made Stilton and Beauvale soft cheese. We had a very informative conversion surrounding the protection of British cheese and how UK Geographical Indictors can play a vital part in promoting the best of British produce.”
Stilton is a Geographically protected food meaning it can only be made in certain parts of the East Midlands. Rushcliffe boasts two of the best dairies, Cropwell Bishop Creamery and Colston Bassett Dairy.
Food and Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said: “It was great to visit Cropwell Bishop Creamery and see the making of their famous Stilton and blue cheese for myself.
“We discussed a range of issues including our new GI schemes, which guarantee quality and excellence for food lovers at home and around the world.
“We want people, at home and abroad, to be lining up to buy British and it was good to discuss the opportunities ahead for our world-renowned cheese makers.”
