When I think of cheese shops in London it is the Christmas queues at Neal’s Yard Dairy that come to mind. But after a recent visit to La Fromagerie in Highbury, future thoughts of soft cheese are going to lead me here.
Café, deli and cheese shop, La Fromagerie has a bunch of tantalising reasons to pay it a visit. The small space is rammed with jars of jams, chutneys and spreads, wine, biscuits and dry goods and has the country larder look nailed down. As well as the deli there are a few small benches at which to enjoy the good coffee and pastries - although this place is no secret and the well-heeled locals are likely to bar your way to a seat fairly frequently. Still, even if there’s no room to sit in, it just gives you all the more reason for a wander into the separate refrigerated cheese room next door.
From unusual Austrian Bachensteiner to French Briquette, Spanish Idiazabal to a pungent Colston Bassett, you’re not going to go away without something special. Hard, soft, blue, sheep, buffalo, goat or cow… the choice is relentless. But the staff are knowledgeable and happy to advise you. Along with the cheese there is also a smaller selection of cooked and cured meats if charcuterie is more your thing. A lot of us have our own dream kitchen/larder/pantry in our heads but La Fromagerie is something like the reality of it.