George and Joseph Cheesemongers

Founded by a self-proclaimed “lifelong cheese addict” who quit his job to pursue a life in dedication to the art, George and Joseph is Leeds’ only specialist cheesemongers and has been serving some of the city’s best cheese from its home in Chapel Allerton since 2013.

First started by Stephen Fleming in 2012, today the multi award-winning cheesemongers sources and stocks a large selection of premium, locally produced Yorkshire cheeses alongside some of the best from the UK and abroad. From all time classics like Suffolk Brie, Bassett Stilton and Gorwydd Caerphilly, to funkier options including truffled, goats and ewe milk cheese, there’s a huge variety to choose from. The shop also offers a good range of accompanying chutneys and biscuits, as well as bottles of wine and Yorkshire ales. 

As well as selling a great selection of cheese, wine and local ales at George and Joseph, Stephen also hosts regular events at the shop including evening cheese tastings on the first Thursday and Friday of every month. These tastings are also offered privately to groups of all sizes, from informal get togethers of a few friends to large corporate affairs with upwards of 200 guests. There’s also a cheese club, where members receive monthly farmhouse cheese boxes containing four carefully chosen options hand selected by the cheesemongers.. 

Having begun as a pop-up at farmers markets, Stephen opened his first shop in Chapel Allerton and has gone on to win multiple awards including Best Specialty Cheese Retailer at the Great British Cheese Awards, People’s Choice Award at the Academy of Cheese Affineur of the Year competition, and the Farm Shop & Deli Awards’ Best Small Retailer in the North East of England category. In 2017, such was the demand for the artisan cheese shop, it relocated to a larger premises on Harrogate Road, where you’ll still find it today. 

The shop is also home to the G&J Cheese School, an accredited Academy of Cheese training partner, currently offering the Level 1: Associate course, and running fun, informal classes about cheese. Here, cheese students can learn all about how cheese is made and cared for, meet George and Joseph’s mongers, and gain a real insight into how a cheesemonger actually works – all while eating cheese all day. 

A must for cheese lovers of all stripes, the number of awards the shop alone should be enough to convince any self-respecting cheese fan to pop in for a browse next time they are in the neighbourhood.