The northern cheese brand urging people to stop buying the same cheeses on autopilot

Blue cheese isn’t just for Christmas…

Daisy Jackson - 5th August 2024

A family-owned independent cheesemaking business is setting out to buck the usual cheese trends and transform people’s eating and shopping habits.

Butlers Farmhouses Cheeses, the masterminds behind Blacksticks blue cheese, want to snap people out of buying the same cheeses every time they’re in the supermarket.

Instead, they say, you can switch out popular choices like cheddar and feta for blue, which isn’t just for your Christmas cheeseboard.

Cheese toasties, salads, burgers, and even beans on toast all pair perfectly with a good helping of Blacksticks, whether you’re slicing, grating or toasting it.

You might’ve spotted these words – ‘Rules are there to be sliced, grated and toasted’ – around Manchester already – Butlers’ have been loudly spreading the word of Blacksticks all over buses, billboards and beyond.

They say they want to ‘awaken people to new, accessible blue cheese-eating occasions’.

Blacksticks has been spreading the word about blue cheese through huge adverts around Manchester. Credit: Supplied, Blacksticks — Blacksticks has been spreading the word about blue cheese through huge adverts around Manchester. Credit: Supplied

Matthew Hall, fourth-generation owner at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, explains: “More households buy cheese than toilet roll! Yet people buy into the same cheeses on autopilot over and over.

“There is so much joy to be had by injecting mega flavour into more of those cheese-eating moments with speciality British cheeses like Blacksticks.”

The business has conducted research that has found people love eating blue cheese at Christmas but often don’t carry on eating (arguably) the world’s best cheese through the rest of the year.

Matthew said: “Our Christmas sales tell us that people love Blacksticks, so we know that’s not the barrier.

“Finding it relevant, is, and so we want to help cheese lovers discover Blacksticks and make it more accessible to them.”

There’s a whole new range of Blacksticks designed to make blue cheese slot into your everyday cooking, from the Blacksticks Mega Melts which are ideal for melting on top of burgers to the Blacksticks Everyday, which can be easily sliced, grated, and added to just about anything you fancy eating.

As for why they’ve chosen Manchester to launch their campaign, Matthew said: “Not only are we a local business, Mancunians challenge, break the rules and innovate in food, music, arts and culture. There is such a strong sense of identity here, Manchester carves its own path, which is exactly what we see for Blacksticks.”

Blacksticks is available to buy in all major supermarkets including Asda, Booths, Co-op, Morrisons, M&S, Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose as well as in independents, delis and for online delivery direct from the dairy to your front door at butlerscheeses.co.uk.

Featured image: Supplied, Blacksticks