Classic Cheese: Stinking Bishop

With its unique and quirky name, Stinking Bishop is famous among those who love cheese and those who don't, as much for the name as for the quality of the cheese. The name doesn't just refer to the pungency of washed-rind cheese but also to the variety of pear used to make the perry in which the cheese is washed. The "Stinking Bishop" pear is a variety of pear from Gloucestershire (where Stinking Bishop cheese is made) named after a notorious nineteenth century farmer called Frederick Bishop. 

Washing the cheese in perry makes for a sticky, pungent, pink rind in which a lovely soft, strong cheese with a mousse like texture sits. It also helps produce the strong meaty smell and earthy flavours for which the cheese is famous, although it should be noted that the flavour is not as strong as it's smell. To help hold the soft cheese together, it's wrapped in a strip of beechwood which is also responsible for imparting some of it's own qualities to the cheese. 

You can buy Stinking Bishop cheese from our online cheese shop