Speciality Food September 2025

and Stilton. Make sure you have lots of those in stock. During my first Christmas inmy shop I was staggered. You won’t see some customers all year, then suddenly they come in wanting a 3kg wheel of Brie. For me, it’s not the time to experiment.” ● Pay attention to trends What cheese lovers want changes all the time, especially today, when social media influencers can swifty turn public opinion on a dime – just look at the rise to stardom of cottage cheese. As well as your trusted customer favourites and classics, it is worth dipping your toes into trends, provided youmarket and promote anything new effectively so it doesn’t end up stuck in the counter. Nick Birchall of The Cheese Shop in Nantwich says indulgence is something everyone should be thinking about when planning their Christmas cheese counters. “Anything with truffle will fly out, like Truffled Baron Bigod – load those up. Also creamy, rich, fatty cheeses like Delice de Bourgogne. “We get in lots of Alp Blossom because it’s pretty, and people like it. shop’s range in the weeks leading to Christmas, introducing new products from late September, giving customers a chance to discover and taste them in a more relaxed environment. “Many of our customers return year after year (of not week after week) so stocking exciting, new goodies is key to keeping interest. We’re also dedicated to seasonality, so our range changes with the months of the year, andmany of our favourites are winter made cheeses, so their return is oftenmuch anticipated by staff and customers alike.” Staff are always astounded, she adds, by the volume of cheese that flies out the door in the two weeks before Christmas. “It’s at least 20 times what we would sell during a sunny summer’s day. To say our walk-in fridge and cheese decks are full to the brimwould be an understatement!” Cheese expert, author and judge, Steve Parker, reminds retailers to exercise caution when it comes to novelty varieties – particularly in a speciality, artisan setting. “There’s a temptation to get lots of novelty cheeses, when 90% of customers are coming in asking for Brie, Cheddar Another lovely one for Christmas is DrunkenMonk fromBelgium. And, for goodness sake, get lots of boozy cheese in. We have a great goats’ cheese fromSpain, washed in Oloroso sherry. It’s absolutely drenched in sherry and a really big hit for us.” Individual cheeses should be a consideration at Christmas as well – ideal for gifting. “Those baby Baron Bigods or baby Stinking Bishops are fab. You don’t need to spend time cutting themup.” “We’ve noticed a tangible shift towards buying sustainablymade, ethical cheeses, as well as those either made or matured locally,” says Camilla. “More customers than ever want to hear about the back story of each cheese, the dairy, how the animals are living, and what they eat.” As well as a focus on these types of cheeses this year, Camilla thinks it’s worth, if you have space, practising the art of affinage on site to offer your customers something truly different and unique. “We are lucky enough to have a vast cellar underneath our shop in which we mature our entire range of cheese. We also mature about a dozen very exclusive cheeses for Christmas for three to five years, which become our festive Get ahead now to prepare for the busy festive selling season STEVE PARKER CHEESE EXPERT AND AUTHOR NICK BIRCHALL THE CHEESE SHOP, NANTWICH COMMENTATORS CAMILLA MARSHALL LOVSEY THE CAMBRIDGE CHEESE COMPANY THEBIG CHRISTMAS CHEESE CHECKLIST @specialityfood 38 A t Speciality Food we’re delighted that cheese has become such a focal point of consumers’ dining occasions in the last two years. Whether strewn across a board with crackers, fruit and chutney as part of a grazing platter, bubbled on a stove into a fondue, or wheeled out in great hunks for cheese tasting dinner parties – it’s become a massive part of the ‘eating in’ trend. Retailers report a whole new, younger demographic visiting their stores throughout the year. Could this translate into a bumper Christmas in 2025? It’s very possible. As readers will know, December is always naturally the busiest time for selling, so, with new potential customers in the mix this season, it pays to get ahead. We spoke to some of the UK’s cheese experts and retailers to find out what helps them thrive through Christmas trading. Let us guide you with their handy checklist. ● Stock up Make sure you have enough cheese, and that if you haven’t already done so, you’re ordering now. With certain cheeses fromEurope off the cards this Christmas due to Lumpy Skin Disease, there’s more pressure than usual on cheesemakers to deliver this year. Camilla Marshall Lovsey at The Cambridge Cheese Company says the team significantly increases the specials and instantly become best- sellers. Our famous Dragon Slayer, Cambridge Gumburner and festive OldWeydeland change in flavour year on year but are always favourites.” ● Make those displays sing We all eat with our eyes. And bountiful, alluring displays both in the window and inside your shop will guide shoppers through your door. The Cambridge Cheese Company changes every inch of retail space as December approaches. “This is partly to make space for our new lines, but it also encourages customers to discover new parts of the shop which theymight not have ventured to before,” says Camilla. “So many get mesmerised by the soft cheese deck at the front that they never even make it to the back section, which is filled with treasure too.” The shop’s interior and window displays, she adds, are designed to give shoppers ideas of how to build hampers or create interesting food gifts. Nick says his shop’s counters will be “groaning” under the weight of cheese, and thinks demonstrating an extended collection in your displays is a fantastic way to attract customers new and old. In terms of decor, they like to keep it simple. “We have a huge, and I mean huge, 5ft wreath in the window, but we don’t tend to put too many Christmassy things around the cheese, because they can take over. Our door is beautiful, with a big swag outside, but in the shop, we want to keep those nice clean lines.” ● Manage staffing now The biggest mistake cheesemongers make (usually those newer to the industry) is underestimating staffing at Christmas, says Steve. “Think about it now– don’t wait until the third week of November to put an ad in the window. Uni students are home at the moment, get them signed up now, and try to do advance training if you can, so they know how to pronounce, cut and serve the cheeses.” Work out which day of the week Christmas falls on (which he admits sounds silly) now too, Steve says. “Be on top of those rotas, because everyone who works for you is going to want to go Christmas shopping at some point. You can’t expect them to be available every day from the 18th