19 tips for a successful Christmas at the cheese counter

Paul Heasman, Rowcliffe

1. If anything, we saw last year, and a trend that’s following this year, that customers tend to want the classics. I think the independent trade, including us, over the last few years, has tried to be a bit more ‘out there’ with more funky things, but they haven’t really worked. What customers want at Christmas is familiarity and some confidence that when they go into an independent they will get personal service and help putting together a traditional, premium cheeseboard. They’re not looking for whacky stuff like white Stilton with coffee and white chocolate.

2. Longer life lines are working well, and we’ve got quite a lot more of them in for this year. It gives independents confidence to have product dates well into the New Year – and flexibility for them to look at more interesting stuff in the days closer to Christmas, like your truffle Bries.

3. We’re finding gifting cheeses are selling very well. We sell Scottish cheeses called Gigha Fruits from Isle of Kintyre and they’re very popular. They’ve got a great shelf life and the flavours are very good.

4. When it comes to flavoured cheeses we’re not going down the route of chilli and chocolate. There’s a place for those in the supermarkets, but they’re not so popular in the independent sector. We’ve got some cheese with alcohol, like prosecco, and soft cheese with brandy and raisins.

Charlie Turnbull, cheese expert

5. Christmas is a great time to up the number of cheeses in your counter. Make sure you have something for everyone – but that’s it’s really good quality. One of the things I always said to customers is Christmas is the one time of year you’ve got every type of person around the table – from the person who only likes Cheddar, to the vegan, to others who like to discover new cheeses. You’ve got to plan for that. Have your sales drivers like Cheddar, Brie and Stilton, but also those really special ‘other’ cheeses the supermarkets aren’t going to stock. I think Christmas is a good opportunity to go hard with an aggressive Cheddar, or a punchy washed rind. We once had a blue goats’ milk cheese with blackcurrants and redcurrants pressed on the outside. Customers used to come in and go for it, knowing they also had their Cheddar and Stilton.

I say, get something cool in. It’s your way of showing you’ve got a bit of everything, for everyone. 

Danielle Bliss, Paxton & Whitfield

6. Enjoy it! It’s fair to say it’s incredibly busy and the hours in the run up to Christmas can be a bit bonkers, but it can also be so much fun. There is an atmosphere like nowhere else in a cheese shop at Christmas, and we often hear from customers that it’s their favourite bit of the Christmas prep, so embrace it and if it gets a bit much then there’s nothing a taste of cheese can’t fix!

7. It’s never too early to prep – use your quiet period in August to make sure your systems are robust!

8. Hire seasonal staff and get them in earlier than you think so that they are confident by the time you have Christmas queues. It will mean you and your team are fully supported.

9. Really think about when your cheese arrives – it’s a fine line between all your Brie being overripe on Christmas Eve and having an excess of Stilton in January.

10. It’s always exciting to have new cheeses in your range, we continue to see lesser known Alpine-style cheeses prove really popular, and cheese lovers are becoming more adventurous which is exciting as we develop new cheeses in our maturing rooms like Kaldi. But do have a balance – firm favourites like our Finest English Stilton and Paxton’s Selected Montgomery Cheddar are bestsellers year on year and we would have riots in Jermyn Street if these weren’t on our counter.

11. If you have a festive queue, feed them samples!

Tom Brady, Star Plain Stores

12. Christmas is more than just the cheeseboards. Too often customers only think about the post-Christmas dinner cheese. Post on socials or print out in-store recipe ideas for other dishes they may want to enjoy over the period. We send out a Binham Blue and Walnut Savoury Tart recipe - an adaptation for of the Binham Blue Tart we run in our café. Other simple options are baked Camembert for Boxing Day or cheese stuffed chicken breasts in the week before Christmas. Any other cheese that can be sold in cooking will help improve overall sales

13. Make sure your cheese information is really clear. Customers will invest in quality if they understand where the cheese comes from and what makes it special. Make sure your colleagues know all the snippets they can pass on whilst they cut and wrap.

14. Make sure your local cheesemakers have a strong presence in your counter, and don’t become lost behind some of the seasonal classics. Supporting your local economy ensures success is felt a long time past the Christmas period

15. Don’t be tempted to offer too many cheeses. I think it’s far better to have a distinctive range that you can explain to your customers during busy periods and have good availability. Ultimately, customers won’t choose six blues, so stocking four with different qualities and half of them being selected is much easier to handle.

16. Offer early bird offers for orders placed in November so you have plenty of time to adjust quantities and get an early read on customer reactions to your Christmas range.

17. Have fun. Make time to spend social time with your colleagues so Christmas isn’t just work. This team spirit is felt by your customers. The team I work with are brilliant.

18. A good proportion of customers just want a simple purchase. They trust you, so a curated cheeseboard or a few options they can pick from is essential. We send out information via a newsletter and carry it online too.

19. A December cheese and wine evening is a must. Customers want to kick start Christmas and enjoy the whole month, so a tasting event is great.