Speciality Food Inspirational Cheese Retailers 2025

44 @specialityfood WE ARE LUCKY IN THAT OUR COUNTER IS LARGE, AND THEREFORE ABLE TO HOUSE A HUGE VARIETY OF CHEESE The team’s collective best- loved cheese of the last year, says Mel, is goat Gouda with fenugreek. “An unusual goats’ cheese that tastes beautifully fresh, light and creamy. The addition of fenugreek seeds gives it a nutty, savoury flavour and a crunchy texture.” OUR FAVOURITE CHEESE OF THE YEAR Mel thinks the hallmark of a good cheese retailer is being able to understand what the customer wants. But so too, she adds, is diversifying. The team need to trust their own educated taste buds and instincts when sampling and deciding what will next take pride of place in their selection. There should always been something new and interesting within the counter, she says, going on to add that while they always have the likes of locally made Sussex Charmer and Blue Monday in stock, they do like to throw in a few curveballs. Recent buys they’re enjoying include Balcombe Dairy’s Blue Clouds, and farmhouse Cheddar, Olde Sussex – both of which Mel says are brilliant for a summer cheeseboard, leading her to add that seasonality is a huge consideration in cheesemongery. “Brie and creamier/herby cheeses invariably always sell better in the summer, whilst blue comes into its own in winter. We are lucky in that our counter is large, and therefore able to house a huge variety of cheese.” Revisited Secretts There’s nothing secret at all about Secretts in Milford, Surrey. The farm shop (which grows much of its own produce) has been a mainstay in the area for nearly 50 years, beloved by locals, visitors, and even Michelin-starred chefs alike. “It’s an inspiring one-stop-shop,” says buyer Mel Whythe proudly, adding, “We know the customers really well, and meet new-to-farm-shop visitors all the time.” Secretts’ cheese counter is undoubtedly one of the best-stocked not only in Surrey, but in the South of England, with hundreds of varieties to buy at any time – the majority of them available as pre-cut pieces (a popular hangover from Covid-era restrictions). The past year, Mel admits, has been tricky, but trade overall has been good, with cheese remaining a ‘pull’ to the business. “We often have people travelling from further afield in search of something special. Usually a specific variety of cheese, or an artisan product they have sourced at Secretts,” she reveals. PICS: HANNAH MCGREGOR