It has been immensely affecting to see the enthusiastic responses received by the campaigns in support of British cheesemakers. It was a cruel twist of fate for something that often needs many months of maturation, to have many of its roads to market removed overnight. But roads go two ways, and with the loss of access to the diverse range of cheeses in this country, the British public have taken to their tablets, phones and computers to get their fix from online retailers. Thankfully, cheese is one of those affordable luxuries that can be enjoyed at home with relative ease. All it takes is a ..read more

  Baron Bigod I Love You The Heart of Gold. Smooth and silky with a golden interior that will ooze onto your plate. Jonny Crickmore is the farmer and cheesemaker, and he works by hand. His herd of Montbeliarde cows are partial to a relaxing massage (aren’t we all) after a hard day’s grazing. This cheese is full of rich, lingering flavours and mushroomy notes and can be found in our “Heart of Seduction” selection.       Burt’s Blue Heart The Pierced Heart. At a few weeks old, Claire Burt will ‘pierce’ these hearts by hand. To have your heart pierced by one of Cupid’s arrow ..read more

SERVING Salopettes, steaming mugs of hot chocolate and the Russian army are three things that have put in some of their best work at lower temperatures. Although often at home within the cold confines of a fridge, cheese can’t truly count itself among these aforementioned champions of chill. Christmas is a grand stage, and as with many a big-game player, it is necessary that your cheeses undergo a suitable warm-up in order to put in a memorable performance. For it is entirely possible to hamstring your Hafod, limit your Livarot or restrict your Reblochon by skipping this crucial step. Simply p ..read more

  With quite a few selections to choose from this year, we thought it might be of use to learn the thoughts of a few members of The Fine Cheese Co. team. Each person we spoke with provides a little insight into the concepts behind the chosen selections, and, perhaps more importantly, the kind of people who will enjoy receiving these selections. Ollie Setterfield – Finance  “Masterly” – The Super Gold Cheese Selection Box I’ve chosen this selection because you know they have to be pretty amazing cheeses to make it to the the Super Gold stage of the World Cheese Awards. I also can’t ..read more

Virtual cheese tasting events have become tremendously popular this year. In a year beset by lockdowns, restrictions and American elections, they offer a freeing sense of occasion and shared experience, something that has been sadly missing for many of us. The idea itself seems to have been one of those brainwaves that occur for large numbers of people at the same time. We’ve hosted our own events, been asked to help organise events for others, but most often we’ve simply been told by our customers that they are taking part in a virtual cheese tasting that they have organised themselves. Two ..read more

In the run-up to an unusual Christmas, a number of our Cheesemongers have donned their helpers’ hats and have prepared a few words of wisdom. Their aim is to help move you from feeling restive to feeling festive by equipping you with the confidence and know-how for creating unbeatable cheeseboards this holiday season. Starting with today’s, this series of blog posts will see our Cheesemongers offer timeless advice to all, from the beginners who still have ‘L plates’ on their platters, to those experienced enough to have earned a blackbelt in the blues. This week we’ll hear from Ruth, our Chee ..read more

Knowledge is power. And cheese is irresistible. So what do you get if you combine power with irresistibility? Well, you could always ask Ben or Alex, two of our resident curd nerds. For they are deeply knowledgeable in the ways of cheese, and as a result, neither of them has ever been found wanting when it comes to mates, dates or lifting heavy weights. Women want to be with them, men want to be them. Putting the ‘stud’ in studying. Ben and Alex.   But how did these Geek Gods acquire such wisdom and unbridled sex appeal? Perhaps the lofty heights reached by Ben and Alex are beyond t ..read more

There are a great many unknowns in this life.  What exactly is housed within Area 51? What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? What on earth would dad like for Father’s Day? Dads can be difficult to buy for. At times they can be satisfied by simple pleasures, other times they may be gripped by ambitious D-I-Y plans and projects. There are even the occasions when they like nothing better than gathering an audience and imparting a bit of fatherly wisdom. The trick, we have found, is to combine these different facets of dad, and you then have a gift idea that ticks all the right boxes ..read more

It has been immensely affecting to see the enthusiastic responses received by the campaigns in support of British cheesemakers. It was a cruel twist of fate for something that often needs many months of maturation, to have many of its roads to market removed overnight. But roads go two ways, and with the loss of access to the diverse range of cheeses in this country, the British public have taken to their tablets, phones and computers to get their fix from online retailers. Thankfully, cheese is one of those affordable luxuries that can be enjoyed at home with relative ease. All it takes is a ..read more

, Written by Ruth Raskin, Our Cheese Care Manager. Selling cheese, made by small, artisan producers, who work with great skill, dedication and enthusiasm, has always been both a privilege and a pleasure. Now it feels like a responsibility too. Until the country changed unrecognisably just a couple of weeks ago, the British cheese industry was in hale and hearty health. After decades in the doldrums, the resurgence that has taken place in British cheese over the past thirty years has been an absolute joy to be a part of. Now our cheesemakers are in crisis. We know that this is true for so many ..read more