London Cheese Shops

"A gentleman only buys his cheese from Paxton & Whitfield"
Winston Churchill

There is something about cheese, and Stilton Cheese in particular that has a bit fo magic to it. You take sweet and creamy milk and turn into something completely different. London is still an old world city in many respects, for example, they have Cheesemongers. If you want cheese in America, you go to the dairy section of the supermarket.

Paxton & Whitfield, 93 Jermyn Street St. James's, London, SW1Y 6JE. Looking for a great old cheese shop in London? Give Paxton & Whitfield a try, established in 1797, it still supplies the best Stilton in the kingdom. . In case you don't know, Stilton is a blue cheese and one of the truly British gifts to the world of cheese. It is a strong flavored blue cheese with a lot of character. Stilton is still made exclusively in the counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire from local milk.

Neals Yard Dairy,17 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9UP. A bit more recent, but highly regarded cheese shop, Neals Yard Dairy opened July 4th, 1979 in Covent Garden. They have a long list of interesting sounding cheese, including Stilton, Keen's Cheddar, Childwickbury, and Woolsery Goat-to name a few.

La Fromagerie, 2-4 Moxon St, Westminster, London W1U, UK. I like the whole bit with the cows and the bells as their website opens. They modestly remind us that they are one of the best Cheese Shops in London. The choices of cheese are really mind boggling. From such broad categories as country, animal, and firmness, the varities of cheese here seem endless. Under the UK Cheese we find such interesting items as Wensleydale Richard III, Ticklemore, and Colston Bassett Stilton.

Gorwydd Caerphilly, Borough Market, Borough High St, Southwark, London SE1, UK. Gotta love the name, don't you? They only sell Caerphilly, which is a traditional Welsh cheese. The Welsh name was a bit of a tip off. Gorwydd Caerphilly was established in 1996, so it's practically a new born. It's made with a traditional recipe and natural ingredients.

Boerenkass, Broadway Market, Hackney, London E8, UK. These good people are trying bring some respect to Ducth Cheesemaking, and get away from that rubbery stuff in the supermarket called Edam and Gouda. Of course, I kind of like Edam and Gouda. Maybe I will like Wilde Weide, Captein Gouda, and Boeren Sluetel Leidsekaas even better. I like anyone that is trying to make something better. Like making the cheese on small farms with unpasteurized milk.

So there you have a few cheese shops to check out. Enjoy.