How to avoid waste at the Christmas cheese counter

While wastage can seem to be an inevitability of working in the food industry, by planning ahead and having smart solutions in place for when wastage does occur it doesn’t have to be an unsurmountable issue. We speak with three expert cheesemongers to uncover their tips for avoiding waste throughout the festive season and beyond.

Smart stocking

“The secret to avoiding wastage? Planning like your life depends on it – and maybe being just a tad bold,” says Perry Wakeman, director at Rennet & Rind. “We start getting our act together as early as June because there’s no such thing as being too prepared when it comes to cheese. First, take a good look at how much you’ve grown over the year (hopefully not just around the waistline) and tack that percentage onto your last year’s orders. Voilà, you’ve got a solid starting point! Then, have a good hard look at your cheese lineup. Feeling confident? Consider adding an extra 5% to around an eighth of your counter. That way, you keep it manageable while still being bold enough to make an impact. Just make sure you’ve got all the styles covered – soft, hard, blue, and everything
in between.”

For Tom Brady, owner of Star Plain Stores in Holt, having a core range of cheese as a solid base is key. “Pick your essential cheese so once everything else sells, your core Christmas is still a great offer – Baron, Stichelton, Sinodun Hill, Brillat truffle and Dale End Cheddar will make a great board. Place your bulk in 15-20 of your options. Options will naturally sell out, stock reduce and your core stock take over.”
Recognising that some customers might walk away without the cheese they were hoping to buy will help reduce stress levels. “You can’t please everyone by having all cheese available up to Christmas Eve so accept some cheese will sell out early on but your core cheese is great,” says Tom.
In addition to different cheeses require varying approaches in terms of care, get to know how your various suppliers present their cheese. “I’ve found different suppliers have different maturing qualities, so often I won’t buy one version of a cheese to arrive early if I know that supplier prefers their cheese to be more mature so it all gets to the customers’ boards in peak condition,” says Tom. “I also use my large wine fridge as a cheese cave as it keeps the cheese in better condition than wrapped up on a counter (even with cleaning and checking the cheese).”

Connect with customers

At grate Newcastle, owner Moz Murphy has found that engaging with customers early reaps rewards. “Offering an incentive for early ordering is always good, such as an overall discount on the order, or a gifted piece of cheese, but obviously I don’t want to be out of pocket – but there’s a balance to be found!”
In the heat of the Christmas rush, make sure your cheese is visible and tempting. “The trick is to keep things moving. Don’t let those cheeses gather dust – get them out there, front and centre, and let customers have a taste,” says Perry. “The more they taste, the more they’ll buy. And remember, just because Christmas Day has come and gone doesn’t mean you can kick back and relax. There’s still New Year’s around the corner, so keep that cheese moving!”
Don’t be downhearted if some cheese is leftover after Christmas – see it as an opportunity. “We usually offer specials on a cheese toastie or grate it down and freeze for use later on,” says Tom.

“Ideally, we aim to sell cheese when it’s at its best, but if there’s some cheese still hanging around after the festive fun, we’ll look at repurposing it or maybe offering a cheeky discount,” says Perry. “But really, the best plan is to sell the lot when it’s in its prime and save yourself the headache later!”
“We use Too Good To Go as a way of disposing of short-dated cheeses when we have them,” says Moz. “I don’t like to discount prices too much or too often, but I also work with several local restaurants who can take an excess from to time. We also do pre-cut ‘Saturday night cheeseboards’ which use up anything that’s getting close to its date (but still tasting good!) – these are pre-cut, prewrapped and grab and go style, to be eaten that night.”

In those quieter days between Christmas and New Year, the team at grate keep it simple. “Although many of our suppliers will deliver between Christmas and New Year, we tend not to get any deliveries of cheese for stock (we will of course order stuff for customer orders!), and for New Year, the only thing you can preorder is a mystery cheeseboard. Pick a price, and we decide what goes into it – that way we can move some stuff that otherwise might
be wasted.”
“The key to avoiding wastage is to stay on your toes. Keep a close eye on your stock, be ready to switch things up, and make sure your team is as clued up as possible. Christmas is hectic, no doubt about it, but with the right game plan and the right attitude, you can turn it into a cheese-lover’s paradise,” Perry concludes.