Our blog
-
- February 10, 2025
Good cheese – really good cheese – is more than just a tasty food made from milk. It is a confluence of history, provenance, and, perhaps most importantly, people. When I am helping to source and select cheeses for us to import, it is just as vital that I get to know the stories of the people behind them. To truly do this, it is vital to travel to the source to see, to speak, and to taste.
We are rarely satisfied at The Fine Cheese Co., a quality that is at the company’s core. Our founder Ann-Marie Dyas stated it plainly: “Seek out the best and, when you find it, keep looking”. This mentality keeps us from resting on our laurels, and we are constantly on the hunt and keeping our ears to the ground. Sometimes, a delicious cheese we have carried experiences change in some way, and we consider how this affects us.
In this case, we learned quite unexpectedly that the affineur in Aurillac we had worked with for years for both Fourme d’Ambert and Saint-Nectaire Fermier was no longer a part
-
- January 24, 2024
UPDATE
(9th Feb 2024)
Kirkham's Lancashire is back!
We are delighted to be able to tell you that Kirkham's Lancashire will be back on sale from next Wednesday. Graham will personally select some cheeses for us on Monday and they will be winging their way to us immediately.
You may have heard that Kirkham's cheeses were subject to a precautionary recall at Christmas, but we are so happy to report that absolutely nothing untoward has been found either in their milk or in their cheese. They have worked constructively and tirelessly with all the relevant authorities. They take their responsibility to provide safe food deeply seriously and have been able to demonstrate that their farming and cheesemaking practices are robust and hygienic.
We believe that Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire is a special cheese indeed. Not only because it is delicious, but also because of its place in the history of cheesemaking in this country. It is the very last, raw milk, farmhouse Lancashire cheese made to the
-
- January 11, 2022
A few novel ideas on how else you can enjoy Stilton.
Whether you choose Colston Bassett, Cropwell Bishop, or indeed any blue cheese of your choosing, we have a few recipe recommendations for you. -
- January 29, 2021
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.
-
- December 11, 2020
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
-
- November 30, 2020
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.
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 eat blue cheeses, so the fact that this provides a great range of styles that even I am able enjoy, makes it even better.
Ollie Setterfield - Finance
I think the West Country has a well-deserved reputation for making superb cheeses. Three of my favourite cheeses are in the mix, and nothing here is too strong … so I think this will be the selection I will send to my family.
-
- November 17, 2020
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.
-
- November 09, 2020
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.
-
- September 03, 2020
Knowledge is power. And cheese is irresistible. So what do you get if you combine power with irresistibility?
-
- August 10, 2020
Dads can be difficult to buy for. At times they can be satisfied by simple pleasures, other times they may be gripped by ambitious DIY plans and projects...
-
- August 10, 2020
Fresh off the heels of International Women’s day, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the enormous contribution made to our industry by talented women...
Our founder, Ann-Marie Dyas, was one such woman...
-
- August 10, 2020
The British Cheese Awards are the Oscars of Britain’s cheesemaking industry, and though there isn't quite the same level of glitz and glamour as one can expect in Tinseltown, the sheer number of talented cheesemakers, and the trestle table-bucklingly large amount of artisan British and Irish cheese on display more than makes up for it.