The best of British

Blue Stilton (PDO)

Arbroath Smokie (PGI)

The Arbroath Smokie is a hot-smoked, headless and gutted whole haddock. Deep golden to mid brown with creamy moist and juicy white flesh, it has a delicate flavour with a light smoky note and slight saltiness. Originating in the fishing village of Auchmithie, production is restricted to a coastal corridor with an inland boundary 8km radius from Arbroath Town House and extending to the community of West Mains to the north and the community of East Haven in the south. In accordance with the recipe of Scandinavian descent, pairs of fish are hot smoked (unlike kippers) in a pit and the skill of the smoker is paramount in deciding how well the fish are smoking and when they are ready.

Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire Cheese (PDO)

A traditional cylindrical shaped smooth firm cheese made from full fat cows milk, specifically within the environs of the Fylde area of Lancashire, north of the River Ribble and including the Preston and Blackpool districts. Made from local milk to a 19th century recipe, the cheese is matured for up to 6 months and the grazing pastures, supported by moderate climate and high rainfall result in a buttery texture and an identifiable tang.

One of the world’s most cherished cheeses, cylindrical, creamy-white with trademark blue veins. Made from full cream cow’s milk only in the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, the cheese gained its reputation from being sold at the Bell Inn in Stilton on the Great North Road in the early 18th Century. Unique in flavour, it has become the benchmark for blue cheeses the world over.

Bonchester Cheese (PDO)

A lesser known cheese sadly not made at present. Flat cylindrical shaped, white coated full-fat soft cheese with a yellow hue made from unpasteurised Jersey cows’ milk and matured for 12 days. Specific to the Borders, within a radius of 90km from the summit of Peel Fell in the Cheviot Hills. The Jersey breed and local herbage delivered a mild but sophisticated flavour not unlike Morbier.

Buxton Blue (PDO)

Cylindrical shaped, blue-veined, full-fat hard cheese, made from cows’ milk in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. An ageold local recipe, 6 weeks of maturation within the micro-environment of Buxton and the use of exclusive starter and mould cultures ensures distinct russet coloured cheese with a distinct, well-balanced flavour.

Cornish Clotted Cream (PDO)

One of the county’s most famous exports, alongside Daphne du Maurier, Cornish clotted cream is a scalded high butterfat cows’ milk cream. It has a characteristic nutty flavour, varying from thick to thin in consistency, granular to smooth in texture and off-white to golden yellow in colour. Made in Cornwall for several centuries, the high level of carotene found in Cornish grass contributes to its distinctive colour.

Dorset Blue Cheese (PGI)

A lightly pressed blue/green veined cheese with irregular and rough dry brown mould coating limited to production within the county of Dorset using traditionally skimmed milk. The tradition of using less than fullfat milk has continued, but up to 20 weeks of maturation ensures that the low lying permanent pasture on top of Oxford clay leaves a piquant, peppery flavour within a firm texture.

Dovedale Cheese (PDO)

Cylindrical shaped, blue-veined, white full-fat soft cheese, made from cows’ milk within the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. Local milk is acquired from farms in the geographical area to produce a sumptuous, creamy soft, mild blue cheese. Dovedale is brine-dipped to add the salt giving it a distinctive Continental appearance and flavour when the cheese is left to mature for 3-4 weeks.

Exmoor Blue Cheese (PGI)

A full-fat blue-veined soft cheese with a rich yellow colour and buttery texture. Made from unpasteurised Jersey cows’ milk within a portion of Devon and Somerset bound by the coast from Barnstaple to Watchet, the steam railway line from Watchet until it is crossed by the B3227, the B3227 west until it crosses the A361 and the A361 west into Barnstaple. Use of vegetarian rennet and Penicillin Roqueforti and Penicillin candidum results in a rich and herby flavour with a gentle savoury twang.

Gloucestershire Cider (PGI)

A traditional cider prepared only in the county of Gloucestershire by fermenting locally-grown varieties of traditional cider apples for a period of up to 3 months. The cider is then racked off and matured for up to 6 months before exhibiting a diversity of rich fruit flavours with marked astringency and a balance between sweetness and bitterness.

Gloucestershire Perry (PGI)

Made only in the county of Gloucestershire, a traditional perry prepared by fermenting locally-grown perry pears, some varieties of which have flourished in the county for 400 years. Gloucestershire perry exhibits a distinct floral flavour and pale colour with positive astringency softened by a residual sweetness derived from sorbitol, a sugar found only in pears.

Herefordshire Cider (PGI)

Prepared by traditional methods only in the county of Herefordshire. Use of local apple varieties and variations in fermentation and racking times ensure a product distinct from that produced over the border in Gloucestershire.

Herefordshire Perry (PGI)

Prepared by traditional methods only in the county of Herefordshire. Considered by many to be the spiritual home of perry (the manor at Much Marcle is home to perry trees planted to mark the coronation of Queen Anne) use of local pear varieties particular to the county guarantees a product which couldn’t be made anywhere else.

Jersey Royal potatoes (PDO)

This early kidney variety of potato, characterised by long oval tubers, yellow skin and firm texture, has been produced exclusively on the island for over 100 years. Seaweed is used extensively as a fertiliser, which contributes to their distinct flavour. The sheltered nature of the island and rapidly warming soils mean crops can be grown earlier than anywhere else in the UK, hence the Beaujolais Nouveau-like excitement at their arrival on the mainland.

Kentish Ale (PGI) and Kentish Strong Ale (PGI)

Currently available from the Shepherd Neame brewery at Faversham in the heart of Kent’s hop gardens in the form of Spitfire and Bishops Finger, these ales are produced using only Kent-grown hop varieties and, crucially, green-sand-filtered water drawn from their artesian well. The wort for Bishops Finger is infused only in mash tuns of Russian teak built in 1914. The combination of local hops, taintfree, chalky, medium hard water and a recipe of roasted malts delivers beers of particular character – spicy, fruity and with marmalade notes on a long finish.

Manx Loaghtan Lamb (PDO)

Twice in its recent history the Manx Loaghtan (pronounced ‘Luf-ton’) sheep has had to be rescued from extinction by concerned farmers and landowners as the ancient breed’s numbers became precariously low.

A native of the Isle of Man, the Loaghtan –which sometimes grows four distinctive horns instead of two – is believed to be descended from the hardy, primitive sheep reared around north west Europe by the Celts and Vikings.

To achieve PDO status, Isle of Man Manx Loughtan lamb must be born, raised and slaughtered on the island. Killed at between six and 15 months, the meat is darker, less fatty and more gamey than conventional breeds.

Orkney Beef (PDO)

Beef derived solely from cattle born, reared and slaughtered in the Orkney Islands. The exclusive use of Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn/Blue Grey breeds fed on pastures of grass and herbage refreshed by the North Atlantic winds gives the beef its characteristic depth of flavour. Restriction of sales to fresh and chilled product and not frozen ensures consistently good quality after the meat leaves the islands.

Orkney lamb (PDO)

Lamb born, reared and slaughtered in the Orkney Islands. The unique North Ronaldsay breed, found only in Orkney, lives on a diet of seaweed and is one of the traditional breeds used to produce Orkney lamb. A meat which shares the same reputation for transforming a particular climate and geography into high quality product as Orkney beef.

Rutland Bitter (PGI)

Sadly not currently available as Greene King moved its Langham operation to Suffolk, but originally brewed to a traditional recipe by Ruddles. A fine beer in the IPA tradition it was fairly weak but had a full flavour. Rumour has it that a local brewer will have all the documentation in place to resurrect production in the very near future.

Scotch Beef (PGI)

Largely serving to protect a description synonymous with good quality and flavour, this designation applies to beef from cattle born, reared for the entirety of their lives, slaughtered and dressed in the mainland of Scotland, including the islands off the west coast, Orkney and Shetland. The characteristics of Scotch beef arise from extensive rather than intensive grazing on the pastures particular to the Scottish landscape.

Scotch Lamb (PGI)

See Scotch beef (above).

Scottish Farmed Salmon (PGI)

Considered by chefs and consumers alike to be first amongst farmed salmon for flavour. The salt waters of the Scottish coast are an ideal environment in which to nurture well-fed and low density stocked salmon, producing succulent pink flesh (with a minimum intensity of 26 on the Roche Scale) and a distinguished flavour. The PGI designation incorporates stringent protocols covering every stage of husbandry and processing.

Shetland Lamb (PDO)

Meat derived from the native breed of Shetland sheep and its derivatives, born, reared and slaughtered in the Shetland Isles off the north coast of Scotland. The Shetland sheep is a distinctive breed native to the Shetland Isles. The texture and flavour of meat derived from Shetland or the Shetland/Cheviot ewes is markedly different from lamb derived from other breeds.