CHEESEWIRE
news & views from the cheese counter
Lower rents and altered shopping habits drive new openings boom By Patrick McGuigan
A raft of new cheese shops has opened in the UK, as retailers look to capitalise on cheaper rents, changes in shopping patterns and a surge in demand for artisan cheese caused by the pandemic. At least 10 new cheese shops opened before Christmas with research from the Local Data Company showing that 432 more independent grocers, including cheesemongers, opened in 2020, up by 5%. The trend is being driven by the impact of COVID, which has seen an increased demand for food shopping in residential areas as people
work from home more. Landlords also seem to be more willing to negotiate on rents because of the uncertain economic climate. Johnny McDowell, owner of Indie Füde in Belfast, opened a second cheese shop in a residential part of the Ormeau Road in December. He secured a 20% discount on the rent and six-month rent-free period. “It’s a good time to be negotiating,” he said, adding that COVID was changing shopping habits. “People would previously have commuted into Belfast, but they’re now working from home and can pop to the shops a few times a week. I think
North Wales retailer The Little Cheesemonger has opened a second outlet
that’s going to be for the long term.” Neal’s Yard Dairy director Jason Hinds told FFD last year that he expected rents to fall. “Unless landlords want charity shops or empty shops, they are going to have to be more realistic in terms of rents, and food shops bring energy and people to the high street,” he said. The company opened a new shop in a residential area of Islington in November, while other new cheese shops include Funk in Hackney, Wild Goose in Ipswich, The Cheese Station in Staffordshire, Renoufs in Wimbourne, Grate in Jesmond and The Cheese Shed in Bovey Tracey. Two Belly in Bristol has also opened an additional store in the city. The Little Cheesemonger in Rhuddlan, North Wales, opened a second outlet in Prestatyn in December when a unit previously used for children’s parties closed down due to the pandemic. “We’ve had a surge of new customers over the past year because they want to support local food,” said owner Gemma Williams. “I’m expecting an absolute boom in the summer when restrictions are lifted because there are lots of caravan parks and campsites here.”
NEWS IN BRIEF The Cheshire Cheese Company has stopped online sales to the public in the EU because of expensive new post-Brexit paperwork. The company, which specialises in waxed and flavour-added cheeses is now looking at investing in a new distribution centre on the Continent. Scottish cheesemonger IJ Mellis was forced to start a new Instagram account after its previous handle, which had 15,000 followers, was held to ransom by hackers. The business, which has shops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews, can now be found via the new handle: @mellischeeseltd The UK’s Virtual Cheese Awards is set to return for a second year. The online awards will take place on 7th May with the number of entries increased from 300 to 400 cheeses across nine categories.
Can you hear me Glastonbrie? Although its fields will remain silent for another summer, Worthy Farm – home of Glastonbury music festival – has put the downtime to good use by launching a new cheese. The Reserve Cheddar is aged for six months and made by Wyke Farms with milk from the Worthy Farm’s own herd, which grazes on the land used for world famous festival. The cheese launched in Co-op stores last month, following on from the chain becoming the festival’s first ever retail partner at the last event, held in 2019.
THREE WAYS WITH...
Ossau-Iraty This famous PDO sheep’s milk cheese from the French Basque Country has crowd-pleasing caramel and hazelnut notes, but can also have interesting gamey and animal flavours, which give it depth and complexity. This is particularly true of the raw milk OssauIraty exported to the UK by start-up company LX Food. The cheese, which is aged for eight months, is made on a small farm in Pagolle.
Cherry Jam In the Pyrenees, people traditionally serve OssauIraty with a spoonful of the local black cherry jam, which comes from Itxassou and is also exported by LX Food. Sweet and fragrant, it works beautifully with the cheese and provides a pleasing contrast to the saltiness. Cider Red wines from the Irouléguy wine region of the French Basque Country – made with Tannat, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes – are the favoured local tipple to enjoy with Ossau-Iraty, but cider is also a great match. Dry-to-medium styles work well, especially if there is some funky farmyard flavour to go with the meatier notes found in the cheese. Smoked Mutton Ossau-Iraty works well with a wide range of charcuterie, but there’s something fitting about serving it with smoked mutton – a sublime creation from Capreolus Fine Foods in Dorset. Leg of mutton is cured with rosemary, juniper, garlic, black pepper, and port, before being air-dried and then smoked over beechwood. It has a wonderfully scented, fruity and smoky flavour that is a natural fit for the cheese. Vol.22 Issue 2 | March 2021
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