Shops / cheese
New cheese shop to open in former bookshop
A cheese shop opening soon began life as a small weekly stall at Whiteladies Road Farmers’ Market.
L’Affinage Du Fromage will sell cheese alongside natural wine, charcuterie, chutneys, biscuits and bread – ‘provisions’ in modern day parlance – as well as hosting events such as cheese masterclasses.
The business is owned by husband and wife team Louise and Leo Wirtz, who pride themselves on being traditional cheesemongers.
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Their first permanent retail store will be opening in what for many years has been a bookshop.
With Max Minerva’s now moving to larger premises, L’Affinage Du Fromage will be taking over their former home (and before that the home of Durdham Down Bookshop) on North View in Westbury Park.
Louise and Leo, who live in Charfield in Gloucestershire, were tipped off about the shop becoming available through one of their market regulars who is also a book lover.
“We have had so many people stop us to say hello,” says Louise on a recent break from fitting out the new shop. “We have felt really supported already.”
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Louise says that once the shop is open, customers will be able to walk through the door and sample a selection of cheeses throughout the year depending on what is currently tasting best.
“We want you to be able to learn about the producer, connecting you with the food.”
Louise and Leo’s eldest daughter, Izzy, 18, has just started at Durham University; while their youngest, Tilly, 12, is a pupil at Montpelier High School.
Leo’s father trained as a chef in Switzerland before opening his first restaurant in the UK after putting in the winning bid for the contents of a lorry-load of cheese.
Louise grew up on her family’s dairy farm. She went to the University of Bristol, worked as a waitress in the Michelin-starred Harveys restaurant on Denmark Street, before living in Bahrain and being a gardener before setting up her first food business making pies and chutneys.
The cheese sold at L’Affinage Du Fromage will be 90 per cent British. “As local as we can get and fairly priced,” according to Leo.
“We love our customers and we want to go on a journey with them.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- Friends join forces for unique shop collaboration
- Popular bookshop reopens in larger premises
- In photos: North Street Cheese Co.
- Cheese-themed restaurant to open in converted maternity hospital
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