Monks' cheese asks for Europe's blessing

Staffordshire cheese should gain European protected designation of origin (PDO) status by the end of the year.

An application to register the crumbly cloth-bound cheese was published in the journal of the European Union at the end of June, said Staffordshire Cheese Company founder John Knox. "Member states have six months to register objections and, assuming they don't, we should have a PDO by Christmas."

Staffordshire cheese, which is made with milk from cows kept on local farms, differs from cheeses made in surrounding counties because of the distinctive nature of the cows' diet, the mixture of cheese starter cultures and its body and texture, claimed Knox.

A former manufacturing director at Kerrygold, Knox decided to 'resurrect' the cheese, which was first produced by Cistercian monks in the 13th century, about four years ago and now supplies restaurants, farmers' markets, shops and delis. He is also exploring export opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association has suffered a further setback in its bid to gain the less-prescriptive protected geographical indication (PGI) status for Melton Mowbray pies. While its application will continue to be processed by the European Commission, final approval will be delayed until the European Court of Justice clarifies some legal issues relating to the protected names scheme, which may not be for another two years, said Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) policy adviser Simon Johnson.

Objections to the PGI bid had been lodged by Northern Foods, which makes Melton Mowbray pies outside the proposed Melton Mowbray PGI region.

Other UK applications - for Forced Rhubarb from Yorkshire, Cornish Sardines and Colchester Oysters - were still being processed by Food from Britain and DEFRA, said Johnson.