Object number
67/13/1-2
Description
This is a ceramic stilton jar used for the storage of stilton cheese for sale in the luxury food trade, from Fortnum and Masons, London.
Physical description
1 jar: pottery (stoneware); good condition
Label Text
Stilton jar. This ceramic jar was used to store Stilton cheese by Fortnum and Masons, a luxury department store in Piccadilly, London. Stilton has always been a luxury product; in the 1790s half a pound of Stilton cost more than double a farm labourer's daily wage. In fact, such was its reputation for quality that in 1724 Daniel Defoe referred to it as the 'English Parmesan'. At this point, it was likely a matured cream cheese made with whole milk and additional cream. The cheese's protected status means that it can only be made in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Peculiarly, this does not include the Cambridgeshire village of Stilton where the cheese likely originated.
Archival history
MERL ‘History Artefacts’ card - ‘ JAR- Stilton cheese // MARKETING DAIRY PRODUCE CHEESE // Inscription: By appointment to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II finest English Stilton cheese // Fortnum Masons, London // Description: A stoneware jar glazed white with a brown glazed rim and lid. The lid is recessed into the top and sits on a rim. It has a small knob. Use: For the storage of stilton cheese for sale in the luxury food trade.’
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External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_9627.tif - High resolution image
