We’ve just had a week away from the shop. I think it’s our first full week off since September last year and it has been really lovely. I’m not a big fan of being away from home for too long – I love working in the shop and I really miss it when I’m not there. Usually our trips therefore involve visiting cheesy places and this week has been no exception. We have visited 3 different cheese shops and met with a cheesemaker. I always find it really interesting to visit other shops, just to see the sort of things they’re selling and the way they display produce. Chatting with other cheesemongers is just so lovely, we’re a small group and I for one don’t see other shops as our rivals. For me it’s all about spreading the love of cheese and the more of us that are out there doing it the better!

Apart from cheese shops we have spent the week spending time of our two fabulous hounds, Spike & Cooper. They are 8 year old, red fox Labradors and are the soppiest creatures you could hope to come across. It’s been great walking them in new places and chilling out with them both. We also spent a couple of days as tourists in our local area – we’d never been to the Ashmolean or the Pitt Rivers Museum so we headed into Oxford for a cultural afternoon. Both are totally well worth a visit.

Holidaying aside, what else is going on in Pangbourne…? We’ve been busy prepping for Easter with lots of fabulous cheeses coming into the shop. We’ve got a great, clothbound, buffalo milk, cheddar style cheese in the counter at the moment which has been really interesting. It has a gamey taste which develops in the mouth as you eat the cheese and it reminds me of roast dinners (I’m vegetarian so memories of roast dinners are all that I have!) It’s going out in our cheese club boxes in April so if you’re a subscriber you’ll be able to try it, and we’ve also had fun matching it with one of our wines ready for April’s cheese & wine evenings.

If you do want any cheese for Easter then now is the time to order as the deadline is Tuesday at 11pm! Unfortunately the Inglewhite Buffalo cheese isn’t on the website, but if you do fancy giving it a go then simply order the same quantity of Kaltbach Alpine (they’re the same price) and make a note in the notes section at checkout. I’ll then substitute it in!

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter