Huntsman is a layered British cheese made from Double Gloucester and Blue Stilton.
Its cut face alternates broad orange bands with thinner blue-veined bands, so one slice can move from mellow butteriness to the salty tang of blue cheese.
In This Article
What Is Huntsman Cheese?
Long Clawson Dairy created Huntsman in the 1960s and remains the producer of the trademarked cheese. The dairy uses pasteurized cow's milk cheeses rather than adding blue cultures and annatto to a single mixed curd.
The orange portion is Double Gloucester, a firm, close-textured cheese colored with annatto. The contrasting portion is Blue Stilton, which brings a softer crumble, blue veins, salt, and a more assertive finish.
Both halves are firm enough to hold their own shape before assembly, which is what makes the layering possible at all. A soft-ripened cheese would slump under the weight of the ring stacked above it.
The annatto adds color rather than flavor at the amount cheesemakers use, so the orange bands taste of Gloucester and nothing else. Read the color as a marker of which cheese you are biting, not as a signal of strength.
| Layer | Visible Cue | What It Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Double Gloucester | Broad orange bands | Firm body, butter, cream, and gentle tang |
| Blue Stilton | Thinner ivory bands with blue veins | Salt, crumble, earth, and blue-cheese intensity |
| Joined boundary | Clean line between the cheeses | Keeps the two textures distinct in one serving |
How Is Huntsman Cheese Layered?
Long Clawson makes separate rings of Double Gloucester and Blue Stilton, then layers them by hand. Smaller Stilton rings sit between Gloucester rings, producing either three or five visible layers through the finished wheel.
The smaller blue rings let the Gloucester close around their edges. A whole wheel therefore presents an orange outside, while only the cut face reveals how the two finished cheeses were assembled.
This assembly explains why the bands stay recognizable. A marbled cheese distributes blue growth through one paste, while Huntsman preserves two finished-cheese identities and joins them at clear boundaries.
Hand assembly is also why no two wedges come out the same. Band widths shift from wheel to wheel, so the ratio on your piece is settled at the counter rather than by the recipe.
A clean straight boundary is normal. Smearing across a warm cut face comes from handling, while unexpected fuzzy growth on the orange paste needs closer inspection.
The Layer Ratio Controls Huntsman's Blue Intensity
Huntsman contains Blue Stilton, but the whole wheel is not one continuous blue cheese. Most of its volume is mild orange Gloucester, so a thin edge slice tastes gentler than a piece cut through the Stilton center.
This makes Huntsman useful for someone who wants blue-cheese character without a full bite of Stilton. The Gloucester spreads the salt and earthiness through a broader buttery base, but it does not hide the blue aroma.
The first flavor depends on which layer reaches your tongue first. Double Gloucester gives cream, butter, mild acidity, and a supple chew, while Stilton adds salt, earth, and a longer blue finish.
A balanced cross-layer bite starts creamy, then becomes tangier and more savory as the Stilton breaks down. The contrast is the point, so separating the layers before eating removes the feature that distinguishes Huntsman.
An orange-heavy slice resembles mellow Double Gloucester with a blue accent. A center slice gives more peppery aroma and salt, which is why the visible ratio predicts flavor better than the size of the portion.
Cut Across the Layers, Not Along Them
Place the wedge so the colored bands run horizontally, then cut narrow portions vertically through them. Each serving should contain orange paste, a joined boundary, and at least one section of blue-veined Stilton.
Use a thin knife and wipe the blade after each cut. Stilton is softer and more crumbly, so a dirty blade drags blue paste across the orange face and makes the layers harder to judge.
For a tall five-layer wedge, halve the height only after making the cross-layer cuts. This keeps the portions manageable without turning them into single-cheese strips.
A wire cutter is the wrong tool for this cheese. The wire compresses the softer Stilton bands as it passes and blurs the join lines, which is exactly the detail a knife keeps clean.
Serve Huntsman According to the Visible Ratio
Take the serving portion from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before eating.
A slight warm-up relaxes the Gloucester and opens the Stilton aroma. Stop before the joined boundaries become soft enough to smear.
On a cheese board, Huntsman can occupy both the firm and blue positions. That leaves room for a fresh goat cheese or washed rind instead of adding another cheddar and another blue that repeat its two halves.
Match the accompaniment to the cut. Fig paste or pear softens a blue-heavy slice, while crusty bread and a malty British ale give an orange-heavy slice enough contrast without covering its creaminess.
Port and sweet sherry work on a blue-heavy slice for the same reason fig paste does, because sugar answers salt. An orange-heavy slice has little salt to answer and turns cloying beside them.
Put Huntsman out last and cut it in front of people where you can. The face dulls and dries within an hour in a warm room, and the bands are most of what this cheese is for.
Huntsman Melts in Two Distinct Ways
The two layers do not melt identically. Double Gloucester softens into a cohesive golden layer, while the Stilton becomes creamier and leaves salty blue-flecked pockets.
Cut one cross-layer slice for a burger, steak, toast, or baked potato rather than grating the layers separately. Gentle heat preserves pockets of contrast, while prolonged high heat can release fat and flatten the Stilton aroma.
Add the slice near the end of cooking and cover it briefly. This gives the firmer Gloucester time to relax without keeping the blue layer over heat until it turns oily.
Neither layer wants a long bake. A few minutes under a lid is enough, and pushing it as far as a browned gratin crust drives fat out of the Gloucester and leaves the Stilton grainy.
Skip Huntsman for a cheese sauce. Stirred into milk or a roux the two flavors blend into one muddy blue-tinged result, and separate Gloucester and Stilton do that job better for less money.
Choose a Piece by Its Bands, Joins, and Cut Direction
Look for clean, distinct bands with orange paste that remains close and supple. The Stilton should show blue veining and a moist crumble without watery seepage.
Dry cracks along the joins show that the cut has lost moisture.
Blue-green growth belongs inside the deliberate Stilton bands. Ask a cheesemonger about colonies spreading across the orange paste rather than treating them as part of the design.
Check the direction of the retailer's cut as well. A wedge crossing every band lets each serving reproduce the intended balance, while a shallow piece taken along one layer may deliver almost entirely Gloucester or Stilton.
Ask when the piece was cut. A face cut that morning still shows sharp edges between the bands, while one cut three days earlier reads dull and slightly grey across the orange even when the cheese beneath is sound.
Store Huntsman Without Spreading Moisture or Blue Aroma
Wrap the cut cheese in waxed paper or parchment, then place it in a loose lidded container. The paper protects the face without trapping as much condensation as tight plastic against the paste.
Keep Huntsman away from delicate fresh food because the Stilton aroma travels easily. Rewrap a damp sheet and warm only the portion you plan to eat.
Follow the date on the retailer's cut because a wedge has less protection than a whole assembled wheel.
Lay the wedge on its side in the fridge rather than standing it on the cut face. Standing it puts the weight of the Gloucester onto the softer Stilton bands and squeezes them out of line.
Check the Current Label for Rennet and Pregnancy Guidance
Long Clawson describes Huntsman as made from pasteurized cow's milk. Rennet details can vary by market and label, so vegetarians should check the current package rather than infer the answer from the cheese names.
Pregnancy guidance also depends on the blue-cheese component and how the product will be served. The soft and blue cheese checks cover pasteurization, cold handling, date, and when current medical advice recommends heating.
Anyone with a milk allergy should avoid Huntsman. Both layers contain cow's milk.
