There are just 6 dairies in the world licensed to make Stilton cheese. Stilton is a “protected name” cheese and by law can only be made in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire. Stilton takes its name from the village of the same name in Cambridgeshire although the cheese has never been made there. Over 1 million Stilton cheeses are made each year. Every cheese is graded before leaving the dairy to ensure only cheese of the highest quality is marketed under the Stilton name. It takes 136 pints milk (78 litres) to make one 17 lb (8kg) Stilton cheese. More than 10% of output is exported to some 40 countries world-wide. White Stilton is also a protected name cheese and is made in a similar way to its blue cousin – except that no mould spores are added and the cheese would be sold at about 4 weeks of age. It is a crumbly, creamy, open textures cheese and is now extensively used as a base for blending with apricot, ginger and citrus or vine fruits to create unique dessert cheeses.