can I eat blue cheese?
Soft blue cheeses like gorgonzola, Danish blue and roquefort should be avoided cold during pregnancy — but they're fine cooked until steaming hot. Hard blue cheese, like stilton, is considered safe to eat cold in the UK.
why it matters
The blue veins are created by piercing the cheese, letting air — and potentially listeria — deep inside, while the cheese stays moist and mild in acidity. Hard blues like stilton have a denser, drier texture that makes listeria growth much less likely, which is why the NHS clears them.
how to have it safely
Cook soft blue cheese thoroughly: gorgonzola melted into a properly hot pasta sauce or on a well-baked pizza is safe. Stilton (a hard blue) can be eaten cold, per NHS guidance.
worth knowing
- NHS: hard blue cheeses such as stilton are safe cold; soft blues (gorgonzola, roquefort, Danish blue, dolcelatte) need cooking.
- US guidance is blunter — many US sources advise avoiding all blue cheese unless cooked; roquefort is traditionally raw-milk.
- Blue cheese dressing is usually made with uncooked soft blue cheese — best skipped.
- 'Melted on a burger' often isn't hot enough all the way through — aim for visibly bubbling.
common questions
Can I eat stilton at Christmas while pregnant?
In the UK, yes — stilton is classified as a hard blue cheese and the NHS considers it safe to eat cold, even though it's mould-ripened. Soft blues are the ones to cook.
Is gorgonzola pasta sauce safe?
Yes, if the sauce is properly heated until steaming — cooking kills listeria. A sauce that's merely warm with cheese stirred in at the end is less certain.
also in dairy & eggs
Aligned with guidance from the NHS, FDA and WHO. This is general information, not personal medical advice — check with your midwife or doctor about your own situation. How we write.