Honest Burgers replaces Stilton with Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses’ Blacksticks Blue
Honest Burgers has swapped Stilton for Blacksticks Blue in a new partnership with fourth generation family cheesemakers, Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses.
Raising the flavour bar for foodies with Blacksticks Blue, a modern blue that proves there’s more to blue cheese than a standard Stilton, diners can now choose to top their classic Honest beef burger with a melted Blacksticks Blue Mega Slice, complete with unmistakable amber hue, smooth, creamy texture and distinctive blue bite, all handmade in Butlers’ Lancashire dairy.
Available on the menu now at Honest restaurants nationwide and for eat-in, takeaway and delivery, it’s served with red onion relish, lettuce and Honest’s signature homemade rosemary salted chips.
Honest Burgers previously offered Stilton as its blue cheese option, working with 2kg bags of crumbled cheese that would be hand pressed into shape before melting – a time intensive process that also contributed to excess food waste.
In the switch to Blacksticks Blue, Honest is using new Blacksticks Blue Mega Burger Slices. The thick 80mm slices are cut from a whole, handmade cheese complete with edible rind and fit perfectly on its beef patty, melting in 30 seconds. This reduces food waste as well as optimising preparation time.
Honest Burgers co-founder, Tom Barton, says: “We’ve always had such a small menu, so every ingredient has to fight for its place. We recently took blue cheese off the menu because it came in such large packs the food waste was unacceptable. Then Butlers and Blacksticks Blue came to the rescue with a ready-cut slice in smaller packs that’s knockout in taste and has a great story. Plus – the distinctive orange colour just looks awesome (sub it into our Honest burger, it’s unbelievable!).”
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses has reportedly seen a surge in demand for Blacksticks Blue over the last twelve months, with a 44% increase in sales year on year. The blue cheese trend follows a steep rise in shoppers exploring speciality cheeses and supporting local, farmhouse cheesemakers during Covid lockdowns. With dining at home and the rise in e-commerce spiking sales, the cheese market overall is up by just over 20% year on year.
As well as being available now in Honest restaurants, Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses has launched its Blacksticks Blue Mega Burger Cheese Slices nationally. Ready to use at home for the summer of BBQs, they are available to buy in Waitrose and Spar supermarkets (RRP £3 per pack of four slices) and online through the Butlers letterbox cheese store.
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses fourth generation owner, Matthew Hall, says: “Tom and his team want to create maximum excitement for people who want a proper blue cheese burger. What we’ve created is an amazing burger that has an intensity of flavour yet is still accessible to the masses due to Blacksticks’ uniquely mellow tang. We see time and time again that Blacksticks Blue hooks blue cheese fans in further and converts those who think they don’t like it.
“Honest’s commitment to British suppliers and quality, handmade produce is what we’re all about. All of our blue, hard and soft cheeses are handmade with love and care from our dairy using milk from our own herd. We love working with Honest because like Blacksticks Blue, they’re bold, brave and push the boundaries – not being afraid to move away from more standard foodservice choices like stilton, in the name of great flavour. I can’t wait for people to try it.”
