the cheese shop nantwich
Based on old-world ideals with a loyalty to our family of local Artisan Cheese
producers, we are a small, independently run business dedicated to the
time-honoured traditions of the culinary and agricultural world of cheese.
Established recently, Nick Birchall (one of the partners of The Cheese Shop) has
worked directly with producers for more than 20 years in order to select cheeses
at their peak. Our small staff of knowledgeable cheesemongers are experts in the
field who love teaching through taste. We prioritise education in the art of
properly maintaining cheese so that you can be assured of receiving the
highest-quality products available. Cheese has been produced around Nantwich
from the Roman times, when the Romans used the salt to preserve the cheese.
Cheshire Cheese has been produced from cows fed on the pastures around Nantwich
for centuries. Nick Birchall is a 6th generation farmer’s son and for the last
20 odd years he has worked with his life long friend, Carol Faulkner (Affineur &
Judge) to build his in-depth knowledge of British Artisan Cheese. This led to
Nick joining Carol at The Nantwich Cheese Festival (and other Festivals) as a
Judge of Artisan Cheese. He is a self-confessed geek when it comes to cheese! In
2020 we opened The Cheese Shop on Hospital Street, Nantwich and offer over 150
different Artisan cheeses; depending on the season. Nantwich has one of the
county’s largest collections of historic buildings, second only to Chester.
These cluster mainly in the town centre on Barker Street, Beam Street,
Churchyard Side, High Street and Hospital Street. Our shop is located in one of
the buildings that survived the Tudor Fires of 1583. In order to celebrate
Cheese, we created a “cellar” in the shop so that visitors can see the Affineur
cosset the cheese. The cellar was built to enhance the quality of our products,
as well as to honour the craft of each cheesemaker. It’s been designed to ensure
that every wheel of cheese matures in its ideal environment. Cheese matures in
the cool with a high humidity to achieve that perfect taste.
