The Cheese Shop

116 Northgate Street, Chester CH1 2HT

Tel: 01244 346240 Fax: 01244 314659

e-mail: carole@chestercheeseshop.co.uk
website: www.chestercheeseshop.co.uk

With more than 200 varieties of regional British cheeses on offer, The Cheese Shop has something to suit every palate. This `temple dedicated to cheese' was established some 20 years ago by Carole Faulkner, Cheshire born and Cheshire bred, and so, she says, "Strong in t'arm and thick in t'ead!" Carole trained as a cheesemaker at the Reaseheath Agricultural College in Nantwich and then travelled throughout Europe furthering her knowledge of cheese and other foods.

Following her marriage to Malcolm, a quantity surveyor, she lived in Singapore and Hongkong before they returned to England and opened their own restaurant. They found it very difficult to obtain a suitable variety of cheeses so decided to open their own cheese shop in the heart of historic Chester. Shaded by a blue and white striped awning, the shop was built in the 1800s as a butcher's and the hooks for hanging meat still protrude from the cellar ceiling.

Carole and Malcom buy their cheeses direct from local farms, transport them in their own chilled transport, and then store them in the Victorian temperature-controlled cellars beneath the shop. The cheeses are turned every day so that the moisture does not settle at the bottom. The 200 varieties on sale range from red, white and blue Cheshire to a huge selection of goats, ewes and unpasteurised cheeses. Carole's own favourites are the ewes' milk varieties hence the excellent choice.

As well as cheese, the shop also stocks a delicious selection of regional foods such as dry-cured bacons, eggs, home-cooked ham, hand-made chutneys, pâtés, fruit wines and liqueurs. From further afield come Dorset soups, and olive oils and hand-made pastas from Tuscany.

Well-informed staff are always happy to help make any mealtime an occasion to cherish; there are free tastings of Carole's favourite local cheeses, and if you are looking for an unusual gift, how about a delightful pottery cheese bell or locally made salt pig?