How to curate the perfect cheese counter

As the busiest time of year for fine food retailers approaches, three expert cheesemongers share their tips for ensuring a smooth-running and strong-selling cheese selection.

Stay true to your ethos
For Dan Bliss, cheese buyer at Paxton & Whitfield, it’s important to stay loyal to your sourcing philosophy while allowing room for flexibility. “Above all else, we look to select cheeses that are delicious, sustainable, and made by artisan producers using traditional methods. We have a core selection of cheeses and styles that we review every six months, and we like to make sure the range is always balanced in styles whilst reflecting the season. We have guest cheese slots in the range where we can feature new cheeses or award-winners that means we still have an element of flexibility and use our Cheese Club to trial cheeses and get great feedback from our cheese-loving members.”

For Dan, a cloth-bound Cheddar is a must-stock. “Every British cheese counter needs a Cheddar and we love supporting the fantastic artisan makers that use traditional methods, plus they’re delicious!” Keen’s Extra Mature is a top seller at Friday Street Farm Shop’s cheese room. “Everyone loves a Cheddar and the Keen’s Extra Mature provides that much-craved tangy bite,” says Dean Holmes, deli and cheese room manager. Next up, Baron Bigod. “Brie styles are a mainstay of cheese counters, the incredible makers at Fen Farm have created a modern British classic that is not only really tasty but also has fantastic name recognition!” This cheese is also a popular choice at Friday Street – “it is made locally to us, just down the road in Bungay. Deliciously gooey with a nice citrussy centre, it goes beautifully with charcoal crackers.”

Stichelton, a traditional British blue made with real milk and “a real stalwart of the British cheese scene” is next, followed by Sinodun Hill – “a multi award-winning goat’s cheese made in Oxfordshire, this pretty pyramid is not only eye catching but delicious.” A Comte around the 18 month age profile is a “crowdpleasing cheese people will ask for”. Finally, Mont D’Or. “As cheesemongers, there is such a pull towards seasonal cheese and this is the King of seasonal cheeses,” says Dan. “Spoonable even at room texture, it’s really good theatre on the cheese counter at Christmas.”

Sell what you love
Of course, when it comes to matters of taste subjectivity plays a key role, which is why the team at Paxton & Whitfield work together to build the cheesemonger’s range using a rigid set of criteria. “Clear selection criteria is key,” Dan says. “Samples of new cheeses are reviewed by a panel at Paxton’s – a group of very experienced cheesemongers with a variety of preferences. That way we can be really objective and focus on what role we need a cheese to play in our range.”

That’s not to say that personal enjoyment doesn’t play a part too – especially if you’re working on a smaller scale. “At the end of the day though, a monger has to fall in love with a cheese to sell it. If you are curating your own small counter then I think personal preference shows your personality, otherwise fantastic training goes a long way for your team.” Of course, one can’t forget the palates of one’s customers. “Customer preference definitely plays a part though – if customers don’t love something then it can sit on the counter too long and then we don’t feel we are doing that cheese due service in terms of quality.”

Maintain a healthy balance
Balance is important at Friday Street’s cheese room, says Dean. “We try and keep a nice balance in our cheese room, offering plenty of options for all different palates. We always push local cheeses but its also good to have the favourites like Red Leicester or a Cambozola too as well the unusual, like the Alp Blossom, which really catches customers’ eyes.” A touch of experimentation with the range keeps things fresh for staff and customers alike. “Recently we have just got in an organic semi soft matured sheep’s cheese called Seven Sisters which is wrapped in seaweed. The saltiness of the seaweed and the nuttiness of the cheese gives is a lovely yet different flavour. We very rarely swap out cheeses, during the quieter periods we may not order as much cheese but every now and again it is nice to get a different, more exciting cheese in to get people talking and hope perhaps we may stumble across the next corner stone of our cheese room.”

With a number of excellent cheesemakers in the surrounding area, it’s only natural that Dean sources locally for the cheese room. “Stocking local cheeses really helps push the business forward,” he says. “Being a farm shop, we like to keep everything as local as possible and during the summer months, tourists love to come and see what Suffolk has to offer.”

At I.J. Mellis the team works to an 80:20 rule – 80% of the cheese counter is made up of cheeses that are sure to sell, leaving 20% to experiment with. “Even if you choose some cheeses that don’t sell, you still have your 80% as a safety net,” says director Rory Mellis. “Your regulars, staff and other customers need your staples so staff know what they’re working with and customers know that they’ll be able to get hold of what they want without issue.” Meanwhile, regulars will appreciate the odd change-up to whet their appetite for adventure. “Your locals are likely to come in wanting something different sometimes, so the 20% is largely for them. We change it up every quarter or so, maybe less often than that.”

Keep it functional
For Rory, the functionality of a cheese counter is of paramount importance – especially during busy periods such as Christmas. He advises that staff have everything within easy reach, avoiding staff crossing paths wherever possible – this could mean splitting a large counter into two or three sections. “Stock these sections with all of your most popular cheeses and make sure you have all your amenities around you – like scales, chopping boards and wax paper, and a tasting knife in your pocket, so you don’t have to walk away from your customer to prepare their order,” he suggests.