Stinking Bishop lives in fear of the Wallace & Gromit effect
Steven MorrisTuesday September 13, 2005
Guardian
Piglets are snuffling in the perry pear orchard, and cows grazing in the meadows down in the valley. It is hard to imagine a lovelier scene than this, in a tranquil corner of Gloucestershire yesterday.
But Charles Martell, cheesemaker and self-confessed ageing hippy, is worried. His cheese, Stinking Bishop, is about to become world famous by taking a starring role in the new Wallace & Gromit film. Mr Martell, 59, fears that fans may clamour for his product, as they did when Wensleydale cheese featured in an earlier film.
"I won't be able to cope," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen. We're a small farm, a microbusiness really, and we simply can't produce more cheese."
"I'm quite happy with what I've got at the moment. I don't need more money. I can only wear one suit at a time, or drive one car. And I certainly don't want fame."
The cheese, produced in Dymock, 15 miles north-west of Gloucester, is bathed in perry - pear cider - made from a fruit called Stinking Bishop. This produces a bacterium that flavours the cheese. Mr Martell employs two cheesemakers who produce about 100 rounds a day.
Aardman Animations approached Mr Martell this year to ask whether it could use his product in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which is out next month. The role of the cheese is a closely guarded secret. Mr Martell agreed, but did not realise what he was letting himself in for.
The people at the Wensleydale Creamery soon put him right. Their business was under threat, but some 10 years ago the animation's creator, Nick Park, decided the cheese would be his characters' favourite. The creamery now employs 200 people and its turnover has quadrupled. The company's spokesperson, Jennifer Middleton, said: "I may be to blame for worrying Charles, but I'm sure he'll do well, and it's good for all cheesemaking."
NOTE! Charles Martell moved to Laurel Farm, Dymock in 1972. He had a keen interest in the Gloucester breed of cattle and at that time only 68 cows remained in the entire world. Charles bought as many as he could, revived the Gloucester Cattle Society, of which he is now the patron, and set about making cheese with the milk. The making of cheese was not undertaken at first for the cheese itself but for the publicity it might bring to the cattle. The total number of female cows has now recovered to 450 and his own herd has grown to twenty-five.Stinking Bishop is said to be derived from a cheese once made by Cistercian monks in the village of Dymock. Monks have always been associated with the production of 'washed rind' cheeses. These are cheeses which are washed in a variety of liquids. They are generally full-flavoured with lively aromas. Stinking Bishop is no exception and uses perry as its wash. It has a sticky yellow-orange rind and smells of old socks. The paste is soft and creamy, the flavour is delicious and, although full and distinctive, it is not quite as pungent as the odour may imply! At certain times of year the paste becomes firmer and slightly crumbly. The cheese is similar to the famous French Epoisses which has been banned from the public transport system in Paris. In fact, at a recent cheese show in France they were amazed to discover that Stinking Bishop was made in England.The cheese takes its name from the variety of pear used to make the washing solution. Stinking Bishop pears are one of over 100 varieties which are grown on the Gloucestershire-Herefordshire border. During the cheese-making process the curds are washed in perry before being ladled into moulds. To increase the moisture content and to encourage bacterial activity, salt is not added until the cheeses are removed from the moulds. The cheese is then washed in more perry as it matures. This process takes six to eight weeks.Charles is only able to make a limited amount of cheese using milk from his own cattle. Keeping this small operation financially viable requires him to buy an amount of Fresian milk from a neighbouring farm and, because of this, Charles pasteurises his milk.Each cheese is approximately 20cm in diameter, 4cm deep and weighs 2kg.
