A semi-soft blue cheese made from pasteurised cow's milk, often described as a cross between Stilton and Cheshire. In a period of 10-12 weeks, it forms an orange-brown, natural rind and smooth texture with a sharp, strong flavour and a slightly tangy aroma. It is usually sharper than Stilton and generally creamier.

It was first made in the 1970s at the Castle Stuart dairy in Inverness by Andy Williamson, a cheesemaker who had trained in the making of Stilton cheese in Nottinghamshire. The cheese was first known as Inverness-shire Blue or Blue Stuart, but later changed to Shropshire Blue for marketing reasons, despite having no connection with Shropshire. After the Castle Stuart dairy was closed in 1980, the cheese was revived in Cheshire, but once again manufacture soon ceased. The cheese is now made by the Long Clawson, Leicestershire and the Cropwell Bishop and Colston Bassett dairies in Nottinghamshire. Since 2010, Shropshire Blue has been made by the Shropshire Cheese Company, a Shropshire dairy farm on the Welsh Border.

A variant, Ludlow Blue, is now also being made in Shropshire in a small artisan dairy. It uses carotene as a colouring agent rather than annatto, which makes the colour more yellow.