No Christmas is complete without a cheeseboard filled with some of the finest cheeses in Britain. Now that there's such an emphasis to shop more locally for food, Bristolians are spoilt for choice when it comes to cheese, surrounded by dozens of incredible West Country dairy farmers.
Inside the Bristol Cheesemonger in Wapping Wharf and you're in a giant fridge essentially, a chilly cheese lover's paradise filled with some of the best produce from the South West. It started as a pop-up in St Nicholas Street then moved to a permanent site in a converted shipping container at Cargo filled with artisan cheeses from Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Bristol - but husband and wife owners Oli and Jenny Smith are craving more room.
"We've outgrown our space in the last few months and the location is great and we're desperate to spread out," co-owner Jenny explained. Cargo was only ever meant for a temporary installation and the site has been earmarked for a new 12-storey development for flats, co-working, restaurants and shops.
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Jenny added: "I like the idea of a permanent structure. I think it was initially meant to help with pop-ups and now pretty much everyone is permanent, a lot of people are established and also need space.
"A lot of the restaurants down there would love more space. We've got BoxHall opening opposite and I think it's a good model, so if they're bringing that back Cargo has done its job."
The Bristol Cheesemonger has a long-standing reputation for providing a range of South West cheeses from their spot in Wapping Wharf. In October 2021, Oli and Jenny took over from the previous owner Rosie Morgan who first launched the shop almost a decade ago.
Jenny and Oli met at Leeds University and have since been married for almost ten years. Oli started his career in cheese at the Fine Cheese Company in Bath before working for Rosie at The Bristol Cheesemonger for a couple of years and later making cheese at the Bath Soft Cheese Company. Jenny was a teacher who fancied a change of career that combined a lifelong love of cheese.
The Bristol Cheesemonger has a huge following among other makers and cheese tourists from around the world who will make pilgrimages to their shop for some of their expertise. Oli judged at World Cheese Awards, which was moved from Ukraine to Newport this year, an event that helps round their cheese expertise by meeting different producers from across the globe.
This year will be their second Christmas as owners, and the couple is welcoming the extra business after what Jenny described as a "tough" time for the businesses in Cargo. Local restaurant chain Woky Ko has recently closed two of its sites in the area citing the Gaol Ferry bridge closure as part of the reason for the decision.
"We've been lucky because we have a lot of restaurant wholesale so we kept it ticking over and we have a loyal customer base because it's been around for so long and Rosie had built up a reputation for South West cheese. We've still been affected, we've got less footfall and I've seen online sales increase since the bridge has been shut."
The team of cheese connoisseurs will swell from five to eight over the festive period as people come in for advice to create the perfect centrepiece for Christmas Day. Jenny and Oli have doubled down on the South West specialism that Rosie first moulded, while maintaining a few historic relationships with makers outside the region.
"We don't go through wholesalers we only buy through the producers, and there are maybe only a tiny handful of cheese shops that do that in the country," Jenny added.
The couple has robust relationships with dairies like Montgomery's and Westcombe where they can test their batches before they enter the store. They offer several house cheeses, including some from their longstanding partnership with the Somerset Cheese Company, as well as having lots of other types on rotation.
"It's often on the basis of seasonality. Wandering Ewe is made at Failand Hill Farm which is a stone's throw away from Bristol, those guys only have 75 sheep so they milk them and as soon as they've run out of milk they'll stop making cheese. We love that, that's the way it should be, we don't think you should be able to get stuff all year round.
"We like trying new things and often we'll take on people who are trying to get into the dairy industry a bit. Wandering Ewe is a success story, it's become a house cheese."
You'll find some incredible blue cheeses from Devon and Somerset as well as a variety of different local cheddars. Cheese lovers can purchase selection boxes online made up of small producers or a handpicked selection from the shop workers and another excellent gift idea for a cheese fanatic is their cheese subscription from £35 a month.
The couple has been hosting a number of events in recent months including collaborations with Bristol brewers Left Handed Giant, Wiper and True and Little Martha's. Oli and Jenny are primed to offer cheese-making classes in the New Year after a lot of demand, available to purchase online for £105 primed for late January or early February, but dates are not yet confirmed.
If you're hoping to stay local with your cheeses, the Bristol Cheesemonger is more than happy to share a slice of their wisdom (and a taster or two) in store.
The Bristol Cheesemonger is at Unit 8 Cargo 2, Museum Street, Bristol, BS1 6ZA - open Tuesday to Sunday each week
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