The Cheese Shop

Once upon a time, a rumour went round Chester of a mysterious time-slip that had opened up on Northgate Street. Reports came in of ordinary people walking a seemingly straight path who would then disappear out of sight. Eventually they’d reappear, clutching a chunk of stilton, a jar of chutney and a box of artisan crackers, completely bewildered as to where they’d lost the last 30 minutes of their life.

We’re just joking, but if that gave you a gouda laugh then you’ll know that it’s almost impossible to walk straight past the window of The Cheese Shop without going in. Since 1995, this independent retailer has been delighting turophiles from far and wide with an immense selection of over 200 different cow, goat and ewe cheeses. They also supply some of Chester’s top restaurants and are proud to support local producers. Putting together a cheese platter can be quite bewildering, so here are three of their top local picks.

Bourne’s Cheshire:

“Made in the Bourne Family for many generations, with Mr. Bourne having very recently revived one of his Great Grandmother’s recipes from 1845. This is only one of a very small handful of Traditional cloth bound Cheshire Cheese makers, still left in the county.”

Burt’s Blue:

“This is one of the shop’s best sellers, and rightly so, as it is a wonderful creamy Blue, produced by Claire Burt, who began her business 10 years ago, as a hobby on her kitchen table. She has won many Gold and Silver awards since then and continues to experiment and produce wonderful cheese.”

Crabtree:

“We are very lucky to have this unique cheese, made only in Malpas, a few fields away from the Bourne Family. An Alpine style cheese, fruity with delicate holes and a light sponge texture and a hint of the Crab apples that the cows feed upon during the Autumn.”

Of course, this is just a small sample and there’s a whole world of cheeses from around the world to discover inside The Cheese Shop. If you’re a fromage fan then this place will definitely blow your socks off. You’ll brie delighted you came.