Author: Jen

A Day At The Artisan Cheese Awards

The Artisan Cheese Awards at St Mary’s Church take centre stage in Melton Mowbray each spring, drawing judges and cheese lovers alike. This year, the town buzzed with excitement as experts once again assembled for a cheese tasting. Inside the judging hall, long tables display diverse cheeses, including curds, washed-rinds, cheddars, alpine style wheels, and […]

May Footy Madness

Things here have been super busy so I can only apologise for the lack of news recently. I’m writing this whilst on a train heading home from a few hours in Liverpool. I’m a big football fan and have been an Everton season ticket holder for over 25 years. This season it has felt like […]

What Causes Non Blue Cheeses to Bloom?

Bluing isn’t just reserved for so-called ‘blue’ cheeses. Every so often, I’ll cut into a wedge of Montgomery’s Cheddar or Appleby’s Cheshire and find unexpected blue streaks running through the paste. It’s one of those little quirks that makes handmade cheese so fascinating and so incredibly amazing. These accidental blues are completely natural and safe […]

Swiss World Champions Come To Pangbourne!

I am really excited that we have got not one but two World Champion Cheeses in our counter this week. Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen is a small mountain dairy in the Gantrisch region near Bern, Switzerland. Last year, they achieved something amazing. They won the World Cheese Awards, having already won just 3 years previously. The dairy […]

Types of Heat Treatment for Milk

I recently rewrote much of the information about the cheeses on our website. It’s been a challenge, as there are a lot of them, but it’s kept things up to date. You may have noticed that I’ve included a ‘new’ milk treatment, thermised. So I thought I should explain what the various heat treatment options […]

March 2026

There’s always a moment when you can feel spring arriving. The air feels a bit softer, the trees start showing off their new green buds, and suddenly the markets are full of fresh herbs and the first spring veg. It’s a time that makes me want to open the windows, plan lighter meals, and enjoy […]

St Valentine’s Day 2026

It might be St Valentine’s Day in many places around the world but for us in Pangbourne it is Gruyère Day! We are welcoming the wonderful Trish from Le Gruyère AOP into the shop to do some cheese tasting. If you are out and about in Pangbourne pop in and have a chat with Trish […]

A Deep Dive Into Gouda

About Gouda Gouda is one of those cheeses that just about everyone knows, but there’s a lot more to it than its mild, buttery flavour suggests. It traditionally hails from the Netherlands, and there is so much history behind it that it is more than just a cheese style. Indeed, it has been shaped by […]

Have you ever come across those crunchy little bits in cheese?

They’re actually crystals, and far from being a problem, they’re a lovely sign that the cheese has been aged and is packed with flavour. The main culprits Why they form As cheese matures, two main things are going on: the proteins and sugars are quietly breaking down. It’s really just the cheese’s way of showing […]

December 2025

At this time of year the most common question I get asked is “what makes it onto your Christmas cheeseboard?” The truth is that our cheeseboard tends to be made up of all the little pieces of cheese that are left over on Christmas Eve so ours is a very eclectic mix! We shut for […]