A Small Counter, A Lot Of Curiosity
Love Cheese began life as a single glass counter on a York side street, run by a small team who couldn't quite believe how much good cheese was being made within a few hours' drive and how little of it anyone outside the trade ever got to try. So we set about changing that: one wheel, one wedge, one very enthusiastic conversation at a time.
We're still a genuinely independent shop, still based in York, and still small enough that the person who cuts your cheese is usually the same person who tasted it, tracked it down and drove to collect it themselves. Nothing on our counter is chosen because it's easy to source. It's chosen because someone on the team stood in a dairy, tried it, and couldn't stop talking about it on the drive home.
That's the whole idea behind Love Cheese: your knowledgeable friend behind the counter, minus the small talk about the weather. Ask us anything, what to pair it with, how long to let it breathe, whether it'll survive the post, and we'll give you a straight, useful answer, because we've almost certainly eaten the thing ourselves.
Meet The Team
Jordan Thomson
The Goudafather, Director
Cordi
Cheesemonger
Tim
Cheesemonger
Chloe
Cheesemonger
Harry Baines
Virtual Event Host, "The Big Cheese"
A Few Milestones
Nothing about growing a cheese shop happens quickly, which suits us fine. Here's the short version of how we got from one counter to where we are now.
The Counter Opens
Love Cheese opens its doors on Gillygate with a single counter, a handful of cheesemakers, and a lot to learn.
The Speakcheesey Opens
We reimagine the cafe behind the shop as the Speakcheesey, our bistro and Secret Garden tucked in the shadows of York Minster. Small plates, good wine, and more cheese still.
Virtual Cheese Tastings Launched With Nationwide Success
We take tastings online, live-hosted, with real cheese and wine sent nationwide before you tune in.
Visit York Tourism Awards Finalist
Our first time as a finalist at the Visit York Tourism Awards.
Visit York Tourism Awards Finalist Again
Back among the finalists at the Visit York Tourism Awards, and finalists at the York Press Food and Drink Awards.
YorkMix Choice Awards
Nominated in five categories, including Best Independent Shop and Best Customer Experience.
Small Dairies And Specialist Makers, Not Big Factories
Our counter is British, Yorkshire and Continental. Some of it comes straight from dairies we work closely with, Swaledale, Doddington, Village Maid, Whitelake and Ribblesdale among many more, and the rest through specialist importers and affineurs who work with small makers across Europe.
Every cheese is tasted before it goes on the counter, and we buy in quantities small enough that nothing sits around losing its edge. If a maker has a bad season, we'd rather sell out and wait than pad the gap with something that doesn't belong next to their name.
It costs more and it's slower, but it means when we tell you a cheese is worth trying, we mean it.
Meet The Cheeses
Press & Mentions
Come And Meet The Counter
Whether it's a box on your doorstep or a table in the garden, we'd love to talk you through what's good this week.