Emmental - Switzerland

Emmental is a semi-firm Swiss cheese made from raw cows milk cheese in the Emme Valley of Switzerland. It’s aged for a minimum of 4 months in the cellars, and has a gorgeous light, nutty flavour. It has a whisper of acidity, which makes it a great cheese to pair with other goodies, and has the perfect middle-of-the-road texture: not too firm, but not too soft. Emmental is best known for the large grape sized holes or “eyes” in its paste, which comes from the special enzymes used when making this cheese that causes the cheese to ferment and release carbon dioxide as the cheese is aging. Since it’s on the firmer side, the CO2 has nowhere to go, so just sits in its little holes until we cut it open! Pair with nuts, apples, pears or grapes for a delicious treat, or melt onto a sandwich.

Sold by weight, $7.50/100g

Bonnechere - Back40 Cheeses, Mississippi Station, ON

The rugged Bonnechere River and the mysterious Bonnechere Caves are unique landmarks of the Ottawa Valley. A distinct feature of our Bonnechere is the rind that is toasted over an open flame before aging. This painstaking process, traditional for certain Basque cheeses, imparts a delicious caramel essence which permeates the body of the cheeses as it ages, and provides a delicious contrast to the tangy and fruity body of the cheese. Pairs best with Pinot Noir, dark Ale or smoked beers. 

Sold in 200g pieces, $19.99 each

Creel & Gambrel Jalapeno Peppercorn Cheddar - Kingston, ON

Sold in 270g pieces, $16.99 each

Creel & Gambrel 5 Year Aged Cheddar - Kingston, ON

Another local favourite! Creel & Gambrel’s 5 Year Aged Cheddar is not your average cheddar. Beautifully aged, this cheese is tangy with crystals, crumbles (but not too much!) and will accentuate any typical cheese pairing you can think of. Very typical of an Ontario cheddar, this cheese is exactly what most people would expect out of an “aged cheddar”, but definitely an exceptional option. At 5 Years Old, this cheese still maintains some creaminess, while giving us the bite and acidity of a well matured cheese. Perfectly balanced, when paired with your favourite wine - red or white - and some fruit or jellies, you have a delicious, people-friendly treat! 

Sold in 270g pieces, $19.99 each 

Mountain Oak Smoked Gouda - New Hamburg, ON

This is a young Gouda from Mountain Oak Gouda in New Hamburg, Ontario flavoured with a light smokey flavour. This cheese is quite young, close in texture to a pizza mozzarella, with a very pleasant, light flavour. 

This cheese is produced by the Van Bergeijks family who emigrated to Canada in 1996. They were cheesemakers in Holland, but found that there was little opportunity to grow as dairy farmers, despite their cheese’s local popularity. The cheesemaking equipment made its way with them to Canada, and Mountain Oak Cheese was born!

Sold in 250g wedges, $15.99 each

Mountain Oak Gouda with Wild Nettles - New Hamburg, ON

This is a young Gouda from Mountain Oak Gouda in New Hamburg, Ontario flavoured with Wild Stinging Nettles. When growing strong, nettles have microscopic hairs that contain an acid that can give you a rash or irritated skin. When nettles are cooked, however, that acid disappears and we're left with a light, delicious herb! Its flavour is somewhere in between spinach and parsley, and is a lovely compliment to this cheese. 

Try it melted, on a salad, or solo on a cheese board!

This cheese is produced by the Van Bergeijks family who emigrated to Canada in 1996. They were cheesemakers in Holland, but found that there was little opportunity to grow as dairy farmers, despite their cheese’s local popularity. The cheesemaking equipment made its way with them to Canada, and Mountain Oak Cheese was born!

Sold in 250g wedges, $15.99 each

St Just - France

If you've been missing St Marcellin, this one's for you!

This is St. Just, a soft, bloomy rind cheese from France made to scratch the itch for those missing St Marcellin or St Felicien. It's a smooth and fudgey, ultra gooey cheese made with pasteurized cow's milk, and has very subtle notes of mushroom and hay on the delicate rind. This cheese is incredibly rich and - so much so that it's not really a great choice for a cheese board due to its inability to not goo and ooze all over the place. Heat it up in a heat-safe dish for a couple of minutes, you'll have a buttery puddle of goodness that you'll be reminiscing for a while!

There's currently a disease going around in Europe which has been affecting our import of raw cows milk cheeses, including St Marcellin. You may remember this from Christmas when we couldn't get a lot of our holiday favourites! It's been almost a year that there's been restrictions, so our importers have pivoted to sourcing pasteurized "versions" of the cheeses we love, miss, and can't wait to have back! This is one of those options to get you your St Marcellin fix in the meantime!

Sold in 160g wheels, $16.99 each

Fleuron Bleu - Quebec

Created in 2007, this semi-firm, veined farm cheese is made from cow's milk and has a lovely, light blue flavour. Its flavour is more intense than Rassembleu, Les Fromagiers de la Table Ronde's other super popular blue cheese, with notes of plants, mushrooms, wet wood, freshly cut grass and a hint of barnyard. It has a natural rind, marbled with white and grey mold with a slightly pink hue, and it's inner texture is on the creamier side. This is a great blue cheese for those wanting to venture into the more intense side of the blue world, as it's milder in intensity yet has those more intense flavour notes for you to explore!

Sold by weight, $10.00/100g

Vezzena di Lavarone - Italy

This raw milk cheese comes from the Trentino area in Italy. It's a historical, slow food certified cheese that's incredibly complex and interesting, yet very familiar and approachable. It has a firm, crunchy texture, but isn't crumbly, and has this beautiful nutty, fruity, zippy flavour. We've got notes of hazelnuts, grass, caramel, spice, and a vaguely "cheesy" flavour with an aftertaste that bites you back. It reminds me a lot of super aged Sao Jorge from Portugal, but without the oily/waxy texture. 

This cheese has 3 ingredients: milk, salt and rennet. It is recognized under the "Slow Food Presido", aka the Slow Food movement, which works to protect traditional foods that are at risk of disappearing due to industrialization and mass production. With Vezzena di Lavarone specifically, that means that the cows must graze on the natural Alpine pastures of the Lavarone Plateau, and must be made by the small-scale producers who maintain the cheese's history, quality and authenticity. Historically, this cheese was used for seasoning in Trentino before WW1, and was commonly used in soups, dumplings, or whatever the dish of the day would be, and the cheese we have now is a reflection of what would have been eaten in Italy at that time. 

Sold by weight, $9.45/100g

Crottin de Chevre - France

Crottin de Chevre Germain is a moulded goat cheese made from pasteurized milk and matured in the Berry region of France. Under its fine, white rind hides a firm and slightly crumbly texture with a moderately funky yet delicate flavour. This cheese is a Loire Valley Chevre – meaning that it follows a very similar flavour profile to other cheese from the same region. Chabichou de Poitou, Valencay, Selles-sur-Cher are some examples. This cheese is on the milder side of the Loire funk spectrum, but it’ll give you a great idea of what to expect from this type of cheese.

Sold in 60g wheels, $6.99 each

Garrotxa - Spain

Pronounced gah-row-tcha, this is a Spanish goats milk cheese from Catalonia that almost went extinct! In the 1980s, a group of young cheesemakers and goat farmers in the Garrotxa area of Catalonia decided to revive the production which was super successful! This cheese is traditionally made with milk from the Murciana goat breed and aged in caves to promote the growth of the puffy blue/grey mold on the rind that gives it its characteristic deep, earthy flavour. The goat milk lends an addicting acidity which is well balanced with the earthy, savouriness of the rind. Pair with Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay to bring out the buttery qualities of this cheese!

Sold by weight, $11.00/100g

Irish Porter Cheddar - Ireland

This visually stunning cheese, coming straight from Ireland, is an incredible option for a St. Patrick’s Day cheese board! The cheddar is smooth and creamy, and the addition of the Guinness gives a pleasant malty, sweet flavour. You don’t need to be a beer fan to enjoy this cheese – its flavour is subtle and delicious!

Sold by weight, $9.95/100g

Irish Whiskey Cheddar - Ireland

This lovely Irish cheddar is infused with Irish whiskey! Not that you really taste much of it, the Whiskey serves more of a textural purpose - it smooths out the texture and intensifies the flavour of the cheddar! It's creamy, light, slightly sweet and has an addicting astringent tang. This cheese is PERFECT for Whiskey lovers and milder cheese lovers! 

Sold by weight, $11.00/100g 

Caramelized Onion Cheddar - UK

This cheese comes from Coombe Castle in the UK, and is a lovely, mild cheddar with the addition of sweet caramelized onion and a whisper of balsamic vinegar. It's rich and creamy, but still has a slight crumble to it. The flavour is onion forward with a slight sweetness and subtle vinegar zing. It pairs well with your favourite sausages or on a charcuterie board, or even works as a topping on a salad! This savoury blend is the ultimate mix of cheese and onion you're sure to love.

Sold by weight, $8.00/100g 

Ski Queen (Gjetost) - Norway

This is the Norwegian Gjetost (pronounced yeh-toast) - a caramelized whey-based cheese all the way from Norway! Whey is rich with lactose, the sugar found in milk. To make the cheese, the whey is boiled until the liquid reduces and the sugars caramelize, which is where its rich, butterscotch/caramel flavour comes from! As a point of reference, Ricotta is also a cheese that is made from whey being re-cooked, however its cooked much less and therefore retains much more moisture. 

“Gjetost” translates to “goat cheese” in Norwegian, so this style contains at least some goat’s milk. This particular brand of gjetost also uses cow’s milk to make it creamier and soften the flavor! 

There's a really great article that explains Gjetost a little bit better here: https://www.cheesesexdeath.com/blog/gjetost-norwegian-brown-cheese

Sold in 250g blocks, $16.99 each

Chabichou d'Antan - France

This is definitely a fan  favourite, and one that really got me into the funky zone when I was initially studying cheeses!

This is Chabichou de Poitou, a French Chevre from the Loire Valley. In the Loire Valley of France, goat herding has been around for centuries, dating back as early as the 8th century. The region has very fertile land which makes these goats very, very happy, and the French know how to make some darn good cheese! 70-80% of France's goat cheeses come from this region, and once you taste 'em, you'll understand why! 

Chabichou (pronounced shabby-shoe) lands at around a 5/10 on the funky scale for me - definitely pungent, certainly has a distinct scent.. but not so much that it really knocks your socks off. The funkiness here adds depth and intensity, a level of flavour that just simply does not exist in mild cheeses. Chabichou is a cheese to savour and enjoy - it captures your attention and really makes you TASTE it, not just eat it.

Sold in 150g pieces, $19.99 each

Mountain Oak Cumin Gouda - Ontario

Made by the van Bergeijks family following traditional Dutch recipes, Mountain Oak Cheeses have won countless awards for their cheeses, bringing their favourite recipes from their family dairy farm in Holland and cheesemaker school in Gouda to Ontario! They even have their own herd of cows to provide the milk for their cheeses!

This cheese is a young gouda is flavoured with the addition of cumin, a very typical Dutch addition. This is a unique and rustic cheese with a robust flavour profile – very well balanced between sharp, sweet, and creamy with a really enjoyable taste. Enjoy with something sweet (shortbread or other savoury cookie) or an off dry white wine.

Sold in 250g packages, $15.99 each

Beemster Vlaskaas - Netherlands

Vlaskaas was historically made only once a year, during the flax harvest festival, but as festival traditions fell away, the recipe was buried. Thankfully in 2004, a review of Beemster's past cheeses led to its rediscovery. Vlaskaas was obviously too good to make just once a year and is now available year round! It's buttery with a unique sweet-milk flavour, notes of almond and a touch of sharpness that adds a decadent depth. 

Sold in 250g pieces, $16.99 each

Zacharie Cloutier - Quebec

Coming from Fromagerie Nouvelle France in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Zacharie Cloutier is a raw sheeps milk cheese with notes of butter, caramel and a balanced sweetness. It's very well balanced between the salt/umami and sweetness, with an almost brown butter like flavour. This cheese has won many awards in recent years, namely the category winner of the Caseus Or competition for sheeps milk cheese in 2023! 

Sold by weight, $12.00/100g 

Red Chesterfield - Ontario

This is RED CHESTERFIELD, a British-style cheese made with a Canadian flair. Made by Golspie Dairy in Woodstock, ON, this cheese is inspired by Red Leicester, one of England's most popular cheeses that's a littttttle bit like a cheddar. It's coloured with annatto, a flavourless extract, that gives it the bright orange colour! 

This cheese is an absolute DELIGHT to snack on - it's not quite as intense as an aged cheddar can be, but it's certainly more flavourful than that of a "typical young cheddar" too. It's slightly crumbly but slightly creamy, well balanced with sweet and salty notes, and is just buttery, earthy, nutty, and caramelly without being too overpowering. This is definitely a cheese that everyone will love - cheese novice or afficionado alike!

Bitto DOP - Italy

BITTO is a seasonally released Italian Alpine style cheese from Northern Lombardy. It actually has a super cool story, but I'll get to that after the need-to-know info. This cheese is a firm cheese, with an interesting flavour profile where the acidity of it really shines through. You get bright, fruity notes alongside the salty sharpness, and it's quite intense. It's firm and dry, but not crumbly, and is SCREAMING OUT for some blueberry jam or honey. It's also used in an iconic Lombardian recipe called Sciatt, which is a small, savoury buckwheat pancake ball.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of Bitto, check out my Facebook post with tons of details by clicking here!

Sold by weight, $11.00/100g

Chateau de Bourgogne - France

One of, if not THE BEST triple cream brie out there! This is Chateau de Bourgogne; a cheese of pure luxury. Unlike a double cream brie, this cheese CANNOT be cut into slices or bites.. it's just too creamy! 🤷 I almost like to describe its texture as a savoury whipped cream - it's thick, spreadable, ooey and gooey and near impossible to stop eating!!! It's SO DELICIOUS I've actually had a couple of people tell me this cheese has been LIFE CHANGING, that's how good it is! 

Chateau de Bourgogne comes from the Burgundy region of France (or Bourgogne, in French!) and is the home of some of the best soft cheeses in the world. Cream forward, slightly sweet, slightly salty, and overwhelmingly delicious, you can't go wrong with a good Brie!

Sold in 200g wheels, $19.99

Oveja Rosemary - Spain

This is ROMERO, a rosemary coated Manchego from La Mancha region of Spain. It’s aged for 12 months and has a decadently nutty flavour which is complimented by the fresh Spanish rosemary. 

Once the cheese is formed, the wheel is coated in butter and fresh rosemary to infuse, and is periodically wiped off and fresh rosemary & butter are applied. This gives the cheese a deep herbal flavour which is just absolutely scrumptious!

If you’re looking for something different and intense, this is your cheese. It also has the bonus feature of being kind of colourful (compared to other "plain" cheeses) and makes for a visually exciting option on your cheese board!

Sold in 250g wheels, $18.99 each

Pacific Wildfire - British Columbia

Pacific Wildfire comes from Natural Pastures in British Columbia. This cheese starts out with a rich & complex smokey flavour, and then the warmth kicks in! This cheese is made with locally grown Paper Lantern Habanero peppers which are lightly scattered throughout the creamy cheese. The cheese itself is Natural Pastures own creation, with a texture and flavour somewhere in the middle of a cheddar and a gouda and a raclette. It melts like a dream, so is a fantastic choice for mac n' cheese, nachos or scrambled into some eggs for a little bit of a kick. Pacific Wildfire is vibrant and sassy and spicy and absolutely scrumptious.

Sold in 200g pieces, $16.99 each

Almnas Tegel - Sweden

Almnas Tegel is a cheese with a really interesting story! This cheese is made at Almnas Bruck, an estate that once was a brick-making factory but has now been transformed into a cheesemaking farm! This cheese pays homage to that history - every wheel of cheese is copper coloured and imprinted with small footprints as an homage to the days when children playing would run over wet bricks left out to dry. 

To make the cheese, the milk is put into a copper vat and warmed while the cultures are added. What makes this cheese different is that the milk is warmed slightly hotter than normal, slightly scalding it, which imparts a caramelized flavour to the cheese. It's then aged for two years before being sent out to cheese shops like me! 

It has a super unique flavour - sweet, rich, caramelized, but with a grassy freshness to it as well! 

Sold by weight, $13.50/100g

Townsley 8-Year Cheddar - Quebec

Coming from Quebec,  Townsley Cheddar has been aged for 8 years, and has a stunning complex flavour. It's very firm and crumbly, and is studded with tyrosine crystals (aka cheese diamonds!) to give it an additional crunchy texture to its profile. It has deep flavours, almost reminiscent of caramel or nuts, and evolves as you chew on it. This is a stunning cheddar that is meant to be savoured, and can stand alone and impress without any other accompaniments, but would also be enjoyable on a salad, sandwich or with spreads. 

Sold by weight, $8.50/100g 

Beurre d'Isigny - France

This BUTTER (not cheese, but butter!!!) is a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) butter from Isigny-sur-Mer in the North West of France, and is unlike any other butter you likely would have had before. It has a buttercup yellow colour and slightly hazelnutty flavour profile, and has followed a slow, traditional fermentation process that helps it develop its distinctive aromas and flavours. 

What makes this butter different than the butter you're used to? A few things -- the Isigny region has a warm and humid climate, and is close in proximity to the ocean and marshes. The cows, therefore, feed on grass that is rich in iodine, beta-carotene and micronutrients, giving the butter its own unique flavour! This butter is 100% natural, and has a fat content of at least 82% (for reference, Canadian butter is only 80%) with tons of Vitamin A and E. This butter contains no artificial flavours, preservatives or colouring. This butter also goes through a special production process called tourage that gives it a malleable yet firm texture, and is favoured by French pastry chefs when making light & airy puff pastries and crispy baked goods with buttery flavour! 

These bricks also have the addition of flaky sea salt, which gives the butter a salty crunch! 

For more information on this particular butter, visit the Isigny website here.

Sold in 250g bricks, $27.99 each

NOTE: The baskets pictured are out of stock until the new year, but we have plenty of the flaky salt bricks!

Cow's Creamery Cultured Butter - PEI 

This is a Premium Canadian butter containing 84% butter fat. Cultured butter is made from cream that is cultured (shocking, I know) with active bacteria and has a distinctive, slightly tangy taste. It can be used interchangeably with regular butter in cooking, or used as a special occasion butter that you devour an entire baguette with!

If the French butter is a little bit toooo much of a splurge, we've got this awesome Canadian option instead that has just as much deliciously creamy and decadent buttery flavour. YUM!

Sold in 250g blocks, $11.99 each

Smoked Cheddar - PEI

Made by Cow's Creamery in Prince Edward Island, this 2-Year cheddar is slowly smoked over appletree wood for an 8 hour period which gives it a mouth-wateringly full, smokey flavour that is a perfect compliment to the cheddar cheese! PEI soil is very iron rich, so when the cow's eat the grass grown in this soil, the mineral content of the milk is different which also changes the flavour! This cheese is also made with thermalized milk which is gently heated, but not enough to be pasteurized, which preserves the microorganisms and enzymes of the raw milk that give this cheese its characteristic flavour. 

Sold in 180g packages, $14.99 each