Speciality Food Magazine - May 2025

don’t take as long to come up room temperature for eating so take them out of the fridge half an hour before serving.” Svetlana also shares her tricks of the trade with customers. “I recommend that people enjoy them as soon as possible, and that they don’t buy more than they need. There are lots of different ways fresh cheeses can be enjoyed, so if a customer enjoyed one on a cheeseboard the next day they could try it in a salad or a range of other dishes.” With fresher cheese spoiling quicker than older options, wastage could easily be a problem – so smart stocking is the way forward. “We actually have almost no cheese wastage in the shop. We are very lucky in that we have high footfall all year round and we get a mix of people – some want cheese that is perfect for that day, others want it to be ready for a few days’ time. We get cheese delivered to us four days a week so we can replenish stocks very quickly. We have blackboards in the shop that highlight cheeses which are perfect for eating.” Svetlana and her team are also proactive about getting in the right quantity of seasonal cheeses to avoid wastage. “We don’t order too much, especially when it comes to soft cheese. We just order as much as we need, and because we get orders every week frommultiple suppliers, that’s generally okay. The Cheese Lady team have found that by implementing a system whereby all highly perishable cheeses are clearly dated and rolled through in order of freshness, wastage can be more or less avoided. Upselling opportunities A great pairing can make a cheese sing, and Jen has a few go-to options – with seasonality at their heart. “It is always important to think about what you are serving with your cheese e.g. what’s in season at the moment. Fresh figs always work well with cheese and these are generally available in the summer. I’m a big goats cheese fan and absolutely love themwith fresh cherries whereas my partner loves rhubarb with cheese. Asparagus baked with Mozzarella is a heavenly combo! Drinks-wise I would go for a lighter wine such as a Rosé or a dry Riesling with a softer cheese and then a dry cider with the harder varieties.” W hile there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to seasonal cheeses, the options independent retailers stock in their counters can vary throughout the year. This has as much to do with the cheeses available at any given time as it does with the demands of the consumer, so the smart cheesemonger takes both aspects into account when choosing what to stock as the months roll on. Come summer, as a rule, shoppers are after fresher cheeses to pair with lighter meals, but this isn’t always a given, says Jen Grimstone-Jones of Pangbourne Cheese Shop/Cheese Etc. “We tend to stock a lot of softer cheeses in the spring and summer whereas autumn and winter sees more hearty cheeses in the counter. Although having said that we sell a lot of Raclette and Reblochon all year round and they are usually seen as winter cheeses!” Soft goat’s milk cheeses and soft cows milk cheeses – especially ones hailing from Europe – are winners at The Cheese Lady, as Svetlana Kukharchuk explains. “They do them so well, for example the French Loire Valley cheeses. All amazing! I also love Burrata in the summer when it’s been made with fresh milk.” Seasonal variations Of course, seasonality plays a part when it comes to the natural flavour of cheese too, as Jen explains. “Generally cheeses made in the spring/summer are made using milk from animals that are grazing outdoors whereas winter cheeses are made using milk from animals which are being fed on winter feed. @specialityfood 15 COUNTERPOINT SPONSORED BY It is always important to think about what you are serving with your cheese e.g. what’s in season at the moment these cheeses are often only a few days or weeks old, they are best enjoyed in the summer.” Avoiding wastage As a rule, soft, fresh cheeses can be a little more demanding when it comes to their care, but the well-known wisdom of wrapping themwell and bringing up to room temperature still rings true. “We sell the softer cheeses just as they ripen up so they’re perfect for eating, and we advise our customers to buy them as near to when they want to eat them as possible,” says Jen. “Summer cheeses should be looked after the same as all cheeses – keep themwrapped up well and in the fridge. If it’s particularly warm they SELLINGTHE SEASON This means that summer cheeses are often more herbaceous. When thinking of which cheeses to eat you have to therefore consider when the cheese was made and how long it is aged for. Montgomery Cheddar for example is 12-14 months old and so cheeses consumed in the summer were made the summer before and so the cows are out in the pastures enjoying the fresh air.” The availability of some cheeses gets a summer boost, Jen continues. “Goats and sheep milk cheeses are generally more available in the summer as the animals tend to reproduce in the spring and so their milk is more available for cheesemaking. As Spring/summer cheeses deserve special treatment – here’s how to do just that