by Benjamin Roberts

This morning the news reported that K-Pop megastars BTS were beginning their compulsory Korean military service and that they would be on hiatus for the next 18 months. My thoughts, like I am sure yours didn’t, immediately went to the English blue cheese Stilton.

Everyone (it has 927 million views on YouTube) is familiar with their enormous hit “Butter” and that is exactly what I think of when I think of Colston-Bassett Stilton. Not blue cheese, not funky or strong cheese, but the most luscious, flavorful, butter I’ve ever encountered. There is a very good reason that Stilton is the official cheese of Christmas—it’s decadence knows no limits (I’ll give you a little heads up that it’s also incredible smeared on potato latkes and I might start a one person campaign to make it the official cheese of Hannukah).

So here’s what you do: Buy a ½ # wedge of Stilton. You can buy a whole wheel like they do in England if you’d like, but a half pound should be enough. Wait 3 hours for it to be at a perfect room temperature. Cut off a piece, put it in your hand, close your eyes, imagine sweet cream butter in your mind’s eye, and then pop that cheese in your mouth. If that isn’t the yummiest piece of blue cheese you’ve ever eaten please email me and I will come up with cockney rhyming slang for the word of your choice.