Speciality Food - October 2025

specialityfoodmagazine.com 33 everybody gathers round and helps. Also, nobody does it for the money. There’s something beyondmoney that keeps people involved. It’s a passion.” This passion rubbed off on him immediately. “I love it. It’s a bizarre thing getting to see the enjoyment cheese gives people at the counter. I can’t imagine any other food item getting the same result, and that’s incredible.” Changing tastes What customers expect from cheesemongers is always shapeshifting. But, equally, what’s available to them, especially within British cheese, constantly changes. It’s the job of independent retailers, says Paul, to veer consumers away from the ‘usual suspects’ out of their comfort zone. That could be introducing them to new blues, sheep’s milk or goats’ milk cheeses, or opening their minds to better quality, British versions of what they usually buy at the supermarket. Paul has plenty of regular customers who might have visited once, baulked at the prices of his cheeses, bought them from a multiple, been disappointed, and returned to him, tails between legs, wanting to taste ‘the real thing’. “I think, in terms of sales, there has been increased awareness of the value of the products and understanding that, yes, you can go and get them from the supermarket, but at an independent cheese shop they’ll always be better,” he explains. A case in point is Cheddar, and Paul says he’s seeing an ‘awakening’ amongst customers that it’s not just a ‘filler’ to be plonked thoughtlessly on the cheeseboard. They’re more willing to try a few Cheddars, noticing and tasting their different nuances. The trend here, he adds, is towards mature and vintage types. “People want stronger flavours.” Also experiencing growth, he adds, are British goats’ and sheep’s milk cheeses. “Lots more people are coming in and saying, ‘I don’t really want to eat cow’s cheese, goats’ cheese is kinder to my stomach. And we’ve seen a complete vanishing of requests for vegan cheeses, I’m delighted to say!” At Cheese and Bees, Peter has noted that his customers very much want to discover more about the makers and stories of the cheeses he stocks. “They really do want to know about the people behind these products. Someone said to me the other day, ‘does Norfolk have a particular type of cheese made in this area?’ That’s becoming so common. There are so many special regional cheeses, like Caboc fromScotland or proper Caerphilly fromWales, that aren’t found in supermarkets, and they are very important to us.” Emmanuelle thinks British consumers are slowly cottoning onto the fact that several native cheeses are seasonal. These types should be heralded, she thinks, anticipated in the same way as the first flush of asparagus or summer berries. “We should learn to wait for these moments patiently if we want cheese at its best. British cheese is, to me, like a nice clock, with different types coming back to the counter as the months change. I’ve had people say to me, ‘oh, I don’t like this cheese’ and I’ll say, ‘when in the year did you try it?’. They might have it again and say, ‘I really like this’. We have to help people to understand they could love a cheese in summer and not like it in winter.” A question of territory Neal’s Yard is spearheading a national campaign to raise awareness of British territorial cheeses – the likes of Cheddar, Caerphilly, Red Leicester, Wensleydale, Stilton, Cheshire and Lancashire. It appears they’re an easier ‘sell’ closer to the places where they are made, for example up in Yorkshire at The Courtyard Dairy, where owner Andy champions them front and centre of his displays. Down in the South of England where Paul’s shop is based, it’s hard to veer customers away from creamy, more Continental-style British cheeses. His greatest success is with Cheddar. “When people say, ‘boring Cheddar’, they’re thinking about the yellow, plasticky ones they’ve had from supermarkets, and those don’t have anything to do with real Cheddar – the likes of Jamie Montgomery or Mary Quicke making the real deal. We’re constantly fighting a battle because the word, ‘Cheddar’ is overused.” Getting customers to try different makers’ Cheddars side by side is THE NEW GENERATION Leona McDonald, director of Golden Hooves, says regenerative farming should be the future of British dairy Regenerative farming is fast becoming a cornerstone of the UK’s food future. By restoring soil health, improving biodiversity, protecting waterways and capturing carbon, these practices help safeguard both the environment and the resilience of our food system. The approach isn’t new – it draws on long-standing traditions of working with nature rather than against it – but the urgency is greater than ever as farmers respond to climate change and rising consumer demand for genuinely sustainable food. Within British cheesemaking, regenerative methods play a vital role. Healthy, carbon-rich soils and diverse pastures create richer, more complex milk, which in turn supports high-quality artisan and larger-scale cheeses. Farmers focusing on regenerative principles also strengthen rural communities by improving long-term productivity and reducing reliance on costly inputs. I always say, whenever I do tastings, that cheese is such a big part of our history, culture, nature and science, all together inone bundle PETER POOLEY, CHEESE AND BEES