The 5 Cheese Shops Everyone In London Should Have Memorised

There’s nothing quite like a small reward at the end of a long day. While some people reach for a sweet treat, I tend to lean the other way, a savoury snack perhaps. For me, nothing feels more like a treat than a little trip to the cheese shop.

There’s something cathartic about wandering around a too-cold shop, asking little questions, teasing little testers, and forgetting how you got home with enough aged Gouda to feed a football team. But it always gets eaten, whether it’s on a board or in a toastie, and everyone should have these shops in their back pocket the next time they find themselves deserving of a little something savoury.

1. Rippon Cheese

This cheese shop has been the backbone of my experience of cheese in London. It is, to me, everything a cheese shop should be. It is unpretentious in display, acting as a walk-in refrigerator keeping both soft and hard cheeses at the perfect temperature on moving racks. Organised and phenomenally stinky, I sometimes go here just to relax, pointing at dairies from lands afar and watching as the ideal personal portion (or party portion) is cut just for me. Having never left without a pot of stracciatella and some sort of chutney, this place was truly love at first sight. As you might tell, I’ll never get over it. 

Where: 26 Upper Tachbrook St, Pimlico, London SW1V 1SW
Website: www.rippon-cheese-stores.com

2. La Fromagerie

La Fromagerie is notoriously the place to go when you want to feel like you take cheese seriously. Shelves are stacked just high enough and counters are packed just tight enough to create the illusion that you’ve barely scratched the surface. I come here when I want a bit of hand-holding from an expert; I ask questions, they disappear into the back and return with something I didn’t know I was looking for. It’s the perfect relationship. You might arrive with a plan, but it’s more likely you’ll leave with a wheel you didn’t expect and a loaf of bread to justify it.

Where: multiple locations
WEBSITE: www.lafromagerie.co.uk

3. Borough Cheese Company

I discovered Borough Cheese Company while awaiting the arrival of a friend outside of King’s Cross. A lovely little market of stalls, that is. Weaving in and out of the displays of pies and pastries, candles and dishes, you’ll find this humble cheese stand. Upon my first meeting, I opted to go out on a limb and try a new order, one called Langres, a soft cow’s cheese which is finished in champagne. I’ll end this here by saying that it was the best cheese I have tried in years, a reminder that life really can be beautiful. I recommend it with a Great Taste Awarded loaf of sourdough from neighbouring stall, The Flour Station. 

Where: Borough Market, 8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL
Website: www.boroughmarket.org.uk

4. Neal’s Yard Dairy

Neal’s Yard Dairy is less a shop and more a reference point, a benchmark for great storefronts and products. British cheese done properly, with nothing flashy. Everything feels deliberate from the way the cheese is cut to the way it’s talked about. I come for the classics, to be reminded why cheddar can be so impressive. You can trust whatever ends up wrapped in paper and handed across the counter, even if you blacked out what exactly it was that you ordered.

Where: Multiple locations
Website: www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

5. Buchanons Cheesemonger

Buchanans has the feeling of a proper local where people are greeted by name and recommendations are remembered. The selection is tight but thoughtful, and there’s always something worth asking about. As Tash puts it:

Hard to argue with that.

Where: 5A, 7 Porchester Pl, St George’s Fields, London W2 2BS
Website: www.buchananscheesemonger.com