Other names Dovedale Blue Pasteurised Yes Aging time 3–4 weeks | Source of milk Cows Texture semi-soft Certification PDO 2003 Towns Hartington, Leek | |
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Similar Buxton Blue, Swaledale cheese, Coquetdale cheese, Bonchester cheese, Norbury Blue | ||
Dovedale, also marketed as Dovedale Blue, is a cheese from the Peak District of Great Britain. It takes its name from a part of the River Dove on the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border known as Dovedale.
Dovedale is a full-fat semi-soft blue-veined cheese made from cow's milk. It was formerly produced only in the Hartington Creamery in Derbyshire which closed in 2009. There are plans to restart production at the Staffordshire Cheese Company in Leek. It has a creamy texture and a relatively mild flavour for a blue cheese; unusually for British cheeses, it is brine-dipped instead of being dry-salted. It has been granted Protected Designation of Origin by the EU.
The Product Authentication Inspectorate Ltd has set a standard for Dovedale, referred to as PAI Specification AS06.