Choosing and Caring for Cheese
HOW LONG WILL YOUR CHEESE LAST?
Like any good cheesemonger, our aim is to send you cheese that is in perfect condition to eat, not cheese that you need to ripen at home.
The following advice will help guide you on what to expect:
In general, whole or larger pieces of cheese will last longer than smaller cuts, but the style of cheese plays a role too.
Individual cheeses: You can often expect a shelf-life of seven to fourteen days from receipt on any individual cheese we deliver. (The exceptions are very fresh cheeses like Mozzarella di Bufala, which may only have three to four days’ life.)
Hard cut cheeses like Cheddar and Gruyère, and robust blues like Stilton and Fourme d’Ambert, will keep for up to fourteen days if carefully wrapped and stored in waxed paper or foil.
Some soft cut cheeses like Brie de Meaux and Waterloo can be more delicate but generally they will keep for ten to fourteen days.
If you are in any doubt, please ask us for advice.
We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about your cheese, so always feel free to call us on 01225 448748.
HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR CHEESE
If you’re not planning to eat it immediately, then it’s important to take good care of it until the time comes to tuck in.
For most people, the best place to keep their cheese is in the fridge.
If you have a larder or cellar, you can keep whole, hard cheeses there, but all soft, blue and cut cheeses will fare best in the fridge.
The best place is usually the salad compartment. It is slightly warmer and more humid than other areas of the fridge.
If you are worried your cheese might have a strong smell, store it in a sealed plastic tub to help contain the aroma.
Our cheesemongers cut every piece of cheese by hand, and wrap it in our waxed paper. Cling film doesn’t preserve your cheese as well, so rewrap your cheese in the waxed paper if you aren’t going to eat it all in one sitting, or rewrap it in foil.
Some cheeses arrive in their own wooden box. Don’t discard this, it will help to keep your cheese in tip-top condition.
Cheese and mould are natural bedfellows and given a chance, all cheese will grow a coat. If your cheese has spent some time in the fridge, and you find some surface mould when you unwrap it, just trim a thin layer away. The cheese underneath will still taste great.
Cheese Finder
Throughout our history, we have sought, cared for and loved hand-made cheese. Search from over 600 delicatessens, farm shops and so on throughout the UK, and in over 30 countries (from Austria to Australia).
Delivery
We care about your cheese
Because our products are perishable, we take great care in delivering your order. We will hand pack and deliver the next day, we must have an alternative delivery instruction for any private address, such as "leave in porch/on step/with a neighbour". This is particularly important if you are sending a surprise gift.
Our delivery service
- We send goods by overnight carrier to destinations on the GB mainland only.
- We can deliver to your home or place of work, and to the home or work-place of your relatives, friends, colleagues or business associates.
- We must have a complete post code and telephone number for every delivery address.
- We deliver on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
- Because our products are perishable, we must have an alternative delivery instruction for any private address, such as "leave in porch/on step/with a neighbour". This is particularly important if you are sending a surprise gift; but, even if you are planning to be in, circumstances do change.
- We would ideally like 48 hours’ notice of your order, but we will pull out the stops if you cannot give us that much time. In the latter case, please telephone your order - 01225 448748 – rather than place it through the website. In any case, please place your order by MIDDAY, if you require it for the following day.
Please click HERE for Christmas & New Year Delivery information.
How will your order arrive?
Cost
Delivery is FREE for all orders over £50.00 in value. For any order lower in value than £50.00, our pricing is very simple, it costs £6.99 to get your order delivered to any address on the GB mainland*.
* Excluding Highlands & Islands (A Delivery Surcharge may apply).
Multiple Delivery
Our all-new Multiple Delivery Address feature is perfect for those of you who are shopping for several Christmas or birthday gifts intended for different people. Click here for instruction.
About Us
The Fine Cheese Co. is a maturer, wholesaler, retailer and exporter of artisan British cheeses. We are based in historic Bath, founded by the Romans and famous for its beautiful Georgian architecture - alongside Venice the only World Heritage city in Europe.
We have been cheese specialists for twenty years, and from the start we have nurtured and supported the cream of British cheese-makers. We stock over a hundred hand-made British cheeses: from rediscovered gems such as Devon Oke, a hard but creamy cows’ milk cheese made to the original seventeenth century recipe, to Lord of the Hundreds, an unpasteurised mature sheep’s milk cheese made in the style of an Italian Pecorino.
Read more about us > 
