Cheese Shops We Love: The Fine Cheese Co. Bath
The Fine Cheese Co.
29 & 31 Walcot St.
Bath BA1 5BN, United Kingdom
“Seek out the best and when you find it, keep looking.”
Ann-Marie Dyas, The Fine Cheese Co.
Bath fine cheese photo credit Penny Sadler
Whether you’re new to the world of curds or an aficionado, a visit to The Fine Cheese Co. delights the senses: Enter through the inviting aqua blue doorway and savor the aroma of over 100 cheeses, a large variety of accompaniments—and finally, taste something delicious.
Located in the historic Georgian City of Bath, The Fine Cheese Company is dedicated to sharing the highest quality artisan cheeses. A retailer, wholesaler, and exporter of British and other European cheeses, when the shop opened over thirty years ago, it was an immediate success.
Supporting artisan cheesemakers
The shop was founded by Ann-Marie Dyas, a passionate advocate for artisan cheesemaking who passed away in 2017. The Fine Cheese Co. initially supplied the hospitality trade and sold cheese to the public, introducing customers to traditional British raw milk cheeses, but the business grew quickly and expanded into exporting British and European cheeses worldwide.
Dyas believed passionately that artisans were the food aristocracy. This belief is the foundation of The Fine Cheese Co. today. The shop specializes in selling raw milk cheese—not because it is invariably better, but because it can be more interesting due to variability throughout the year, lending more complexity of flavor.
The Shop
The Fine Cheese Co. opened in 1990 at number 29 Walcot. There are usually 120 cheeses on hand, and at least as many are being prepared in another location for export. The Fine Cheese Co. also offers affinage services to customers and cheesemakers.
In addition to selling cheese, The Fine Cheese Co. produces delicious artisan crackers, the perfect accompaniment to the carefully curated cheeses sold there. In 2005 Dyas and her husband John Siddell purchased the Derbyshire bakery they’d partnered with to make the crackers. Each box of crackers contains one of her signature quotes inside–such as one comparing the transitory nature of a fermented product with eros: “Cheese is like love. Seductive and satisfying, but when it’s gone, it’s gone”
The crackers were such a success the company added other specialty food products including chutney, spreadable fruits, olive oil, pickled fruit, chocolates, charcuterie, Le Piantagioni coffee, tea, and more. Every supplier is carefully chosen from the best of the best, after all, for the finest cheese you must pair the finest accompaniment, yes?
Top Selling Cheeses
According to head cheesemonger Nick Bayne the holy trinity and best-selling cheeses in the shop are Colston Basset Stilton, Brie de Meaux Dongé, and Pitchfork Cheddar. Alp Blossom has become a recent best-seller therefore it could not be left out.
Colston Bassett Stilton photo credit Penny Sadler
Shares Bayne, "Colston Bassett is the smallest of the five Stilton producers–captained by Billy Kevan–only their fourth head cheesemaker in well over a century. Every step of the cheesemaking is accomplished by humans rather than machinery, from gently hand-ladling the fresh curds onto their draining table, to rubbing up the rinds of the fresh cheeses, to turning every truckle. They even taste every single cheese they make to guarantee quality! It’s stunningly rich in texture, like cold butter, and full of the most complex, sweet, winey, herbal flavors."
Brie de Meaux Dongé
AOP Brie de Meaux photo credit Jason Lowe
"This is a cow’s milk cheese made since 1930 by the Dongé family," explains Bayne, adding, "They work on a rotating basis with fifty different small farms in the Meuse countryside around Triconville and are committed to raw milk production and a slow make process letting the unique microflora in the milk shine through.
This cheese is everything a true brie should be: full of rich, vegetal depth, with a garlicky edge that moves into the territories of miso, tamari, and stewed cabbage when ripe– and a buttery undertone from the fantastic milk. We give it pride of place on the front of our counter every day for a reason!"
Trethowan Pitchfork Cheddar photo credit Trethowan Dairy
"In 2014, Todd and Maugan Trethowan moved their production of Gorwydd Caerphilly from Wales to Somerset. With the new location, they thought they should also be making a cheddar. The results have been nothing short of stunning," says Bayne who explains, "Pitchfork is an artisanal Somerset Cheddar as protected by Slow Food Presidium: handmade using the raw milk of the cows on the premises and clothbound. The herd is a little bit unique: about twenty percent are Jerseys, which yield milk particularly high in butterfat and are generally not used for making cheddar. The resulting cheese is magnificent: brothy and savory, with gentle acidity, notes of roast chicken, occasional hints of orchard fruit, a particularly rich texture from the Jersey milk, and the classic Somerset Cheddar aroma of dewy grass and mossy stones. We hand-select every batch at the dairy with their head cheesemaker, Ben Ticehurst, a former Fine Cheese Co. employee. The cheese has won us over but most importantly it has won over a large number of picky locals."
Alp Blossom
Alp Blossom photo credit Penny Sadler
Last but not least, Bayne calls Alp Blossom, "The belle of the ball" and reports that "Alp Blossom is hands-down one of the most popular cheeses in the shop. Made below the Allgäu Alps of Bavaria by cheesemaker Albert Kraus, from whom we take a couple of other cheeses (the delicious Hornkase and ingenious Alpencheddar). Covered with colorful, aromatic, flowers meant to evoke the meadows and hay on which the cows graze, it would be easy to write Alp Blossom off as a gimmick. But the cheese itself is absolutely delicious– a five or six-month-old alpine cheese with milky, sweet, slightly nutty notes that are enhanced by the herbal, oniony flavors from the flowers. We may eat it with our eyes first, but it’s the flavor of this one that keeps the hungry masses knocking down our door."
Also Look For
The Cafe
Bath fine cheese cafe photo credit Penny Sadler
If you find yourself in Bath be sure to visit the cozy cafe next door at 31 Walcot St., a perfect spot for lunch, cream tea, or an energizing espresso.
Head chef Laurent arrived in the UK via France after many years in Michelin-star restaurants in Britain and abroad. The menu is made up of seasonal specialty dishes, salads, sandwiches both cold and toasted, and of course cheese plates. Try the Crocque Monsieur which is wonderfully melty inside and crispy outside. Pair it with a glass of something sparkling.
If you can’t visit Bath check with a local cheese monger or specialty foods shop where you live. The Fine Cheese Co. exports to distributors and retailers worldwide.