looking for the best english cheese shops

Where can I find the best english cheese shops? I need your recommendations please...

nickiemae wrote:Where can I find the best english cheese shops? I need your recommendations please...

Specifically "English" cheese shops might be hard to find, though there are, of course, many good sources for cheese in the area: Pastoral, Cheese Stands Alone, Marion Street Cheese Market, Fox & Obel, Whole Foods...what kind of cheeses are you looking for?

Hammond

Everyone pretty much has the same English cheese selection: Neal's Yard, Borough Market (a subset of Neal's Yard), and the usual selection of Somerdale Cheeses, Coombs Castle, and dull 'concept' cheeses I despise too much to mention as well as lower quality Stilton, Cheddar, etc. A few have some of the more amusing independents (think Stinking Bishop).

Here's a page you may find handy: http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/aboutus.cf ... N=69139977

Queijo wrote:Everyone pretty much has the same English cheese selection: Neal's Yard, Borough Market (a subset of Neal's Yard), and the usual selection of Somerdale Cheeses, Coombs Castle, and dull 'concept' cheeses I despise too much to mention as well as lower quality Stilton, Cheddar, etc. A few have some of the more amusing independents (think Stinking Bishop).

Here's a page you may find handy: http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/aboutus.cf ... N=69139977

Queijo, many smaller boutique cheeseries (Marion St and probably Cheese Stands Alone) will special order just about anything -- I've found Erik Larson to be extraordinarily enthusiastic about getting new cheeses into his store (he orders a few pounds, I buy one, he then introduces the cheese to his other customers).

Pardon my ignorance, but what are "concept cheeses"? You mean like Jarlsberg stuffed with Jalapeno, Camembert with Peppermint, that kind of thing?

Hammond

I really like the idea of "concept cheeses." In fact I want to see cheesemaking taught in art school, so that the next time I want cheese, I go to a gallery and there's 37 cheeses on the wall attacking capitalism. And someone's walking around with a tray of Chardonnay in plastic cups and little pieces of art on toothpicks.

Mike G wrote:I really like the idea of "concept cheeses." In fact I want to see cheesemaking taught in art school, so that the next time I want cheese, I go to a gallery and there's 37 cheeses on the wall attacking capitalism. And someone's walking around with a tray of Chardonnay in plastic cups and little pieces of art on toothpicks.

I imagine overhearing a gallery goer admit that the art really stinks(yet has a creamy mouthfeel and citrusy topnote).

Thanks for the info guys!

I'm planning to make some snack food that are jerky like beef sticks. I love beef steak and cheese!

Special ordering...ah yes, special ordering...actually, ALL neal's yard cheeses are special ordered, and many are seasonal...every two weeks a retailer sends their 'order' to the US contact, who consolidates the order and sends it to Neals Yard. The key to UK special orders is that importers (obviously) have to have the ability to import the cheese - some special orders take 4 weeks, if it is a true special order. Some distributors keep a decent UK inventory (Zuercher, European, Cheeseworks, Crystal, etc) and some have stronger collections than others. Some distributors only stock certain UK cheeses seasonally.

Here's a dandy cheesemonger in Scotland that I'm particularly fond of. They have an interesting Scotland-made selection, but provide very good descriptions of the better UK cheeses:

http://www.ijmellischeesemonger.com/products.htm

Concept cheeses...ah, heard of Red Dragon? Cotswold? White Stilton with Cranberry? White Stilton with lemon zest? White Stilton with Apricot? White Stilton with blueberry? I'm not much of a fan...I'll take my cheese in the buff, thank you.

I'd take Mike G's vision of concept cheese over Cheese House Wyominganytime.

Queijo wrote:Special ordering...ah yes, special ordering...actually, ALL neal's yard cheeses are special ordered, and many are seasonal...every two weeks a retailer sends their 'order' to the US contact, who consolidates the order and sends it to Neals Yard. [/url]anytime.

By "special order," I meant if you see a cheese that interests you, a lot of smaller places (and bigger places too, for all I know) will place an order especially for you. For instance, today I spotted a cheese online (a goat cheese wrapped in hoja santa) that I thought sounded good, and I called Marion Street Market to have them order some for me. Now, isn't that special?

Hammond

oh, you had him order mozz co's Hoja Santa, which is okay...more interesting when it gets a little cave age (it arrives in cryovac, usually packed 4 or 5 to a sleeve). Artisanal NYC used to age their Hoja Santa...worth trying from them if they have it in stock. And if you want to spend $$$$.

That is special...and yes, I actually do get what you mean...having been in retail myself at some point in the distant past.

It is always easier to special order domestic cheeses! Unless you want something fromandante. Then you are better off flying to SF and buying it there, cuz she's not shipping here.

Winnamere. Jasper Hill's Winnamere. Try it....

Aw, I like red dragon.

nothing personal, ed. have you ever seen the label for it? now that's high concept. or just really, really commercial.

Queijo wrote:nothing personal, ed. have you ever seen the label for it? now that's high concept. or just really, really commercial.

Nope, just tasted it a few times at Cheese Stands Alone. I'm not generally a fan of stuff like blueberry stilton, etc, or the other examples you listed. But this one tastes good, so I like it

Your description of concept cheese just reminded me of the in-flight meal on a British Airways flight from London to Casablanca, I think. It included cheddar with candied ginger chunks. I like interesting cheeses (and ginger, too, for that matter), but it was downright...odd. It also seemed a little offbeat for an airline meal where you're appealing to the lowest common denominator tastebuds. I chalked it up to the British palate. I've lived in England, but I'll never claim to completely understand their tastes. Certain distinctly British foodstuffs I love, others I find to be downright weird.

chgoeditor--

The cheddar+ginger cheese isn't all that rare! I've certainly bought it at Tesco in England, and someplace--maybe Better Cheddar in KC?--Over Here.

As you note, it seems pretty weird at first, but it grows on you pretty fast. And it is *absolutely dy-no-myte* with sparkling wine. Oh boy! (I can't remember how I discovered that aracane fact... but I *could* probably make up an amusing narrative or two : )

Geo

While the british love the particulates in their cheese, they are not alone.

But on the subject of commerical cheeses with fun, fruity additives, here are a few websites (UK):

Dairy Crest International, home of Cranberry & White Stilton

Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co, home of flavoured Cheddars, including a little bit o' ginger

Wensleydale Creamery, home of Wensleydale with Ginger and Lemon

Long Clawson, home of Stilton, but more importantly, white stilton with ginger and mango

Ilchester Cheese Co, home of the deeeliteful five counties, as well as the relatively unknown Romany

Somerdale's website, big exporter to US - this page is home to the famed Red Dragon

if you click through all these sites, you'll see a huge number of commerical cheeses, many very similar. If you start looking around, you will see a number of these available commercially in the US.[/url]

Geo wrote:chgoeditor--

The cheddar+ginger cheese isn't all that rare! I've certainly bought it at Tesco in England, and someplace--maybe Better Cheddar in KC?--Over Here.

As you note, it seems pretty weird at first, but it grows on you pretty fast. And it is *absolutely dy-no-myte* with sparkling wine. Oh boy! (I can't remember how I discovered that aracane fact... but I *could* probably make up an amusing narrative or two : )

Geo

Geo, I believe you! I buy a lot of cheese--I'm willing to try anything once--and I'd definitely try it again. (The tiny, rubbery pieces you get on an airplane aren't really a sample.) I haven't seen anything like it in the Chicago cheese shops I frequent, but I'll keep my eyes peeled for it. I don't make it to KC much, and my trips to the UK are on hold until the exchange rate comes down, so I'll just have to keep looking here in Chicago. (On a similar note, I was on the east coast recently and tried a Stilton--if I recall--with dried apricot chunks. It was interesting, but not great. Too gimicky, I thought, and very crumbly. But it might be a good dessert cheese, or interesting addition to a salad.)

Queijo wrote:Long Clawson, home of Stilton, but more importantly, white stilton with ginger and mango

Queijo,

The Wife has picked up some reasonable cheeses at Costco, but during her last trip, she got some of this very cheese you mention: white Stilton with ginger and mango. Horrible in every way: miserable texture and odd clumps of ginger that completely overwhelm any other flavor...assuming there are other flavors in there to begin with.

I don't understand the point of white Stilton -- this stuff, free of Penicillium roqueforti, has a bland chalkiness that makes it pretty much not worth eating. It's the stupidest damn cheese I've ever tasted (or tried to taste)...or perhaps Costco just carries an inferior version (not at all impossible).

Hammond