The Cheese Lady Rochester

Cheese of the Month for July - Honey Bee Goat Gouda!
Brought to us by our friends at this pasteurized goat's milk Gouda from The Netherlands is aged for 6 months for a delicious smoothness.

Made with pure goats milk with a drizzle of honey added - it has a delicious nutty sweet flavor that is hard to resist! Well balanced and truly stackable, it's always a firm favorite on cheeseboards, salads and picnics.

25% OFF all month - come in and try it today!

Lots of learning about (and tasting of course) of British cheese to be had this morning courtesy of Tim Griffey, cheesemaker at Montgomery's Cheddar and Yvonne Yeoh of
Thank you to for asking us along for the ride!

Late opening Tuesday July 7th at 11.30am for Staff Training - Sorry for any inconvenience caused!

Had a marvelous weekend in NYC for the Cheesemonger Invitational and the Fancy Food Show, so took the opportunity to visit the sublime Saxelby Cheesemongers in Chelsea Market. Saxelby are New York City's first all-American cheese shop and feature a huge range of cheese to sample and then have fresh cut and wrapped 🧀 ❤
Jill and her knowledgeable cheesemongers chose some washed rind cheeses (my favorites) for me to sample and I loved them all! I purchased Hooligan by Cato Corner Farm in Connecticut, Reverie Parish Hill Creamery in Vermont and Sunny Ridge by Blakesville Creamery in Wisconsin. They were eaten al fresco by The Lake in Central Park. Highly recommend stopping by the shop if you get a chance, and the late Anne Saxelby's book The New Rules for Cheese is an inspirational read.

This week we will have normal hours until Saturday when we will be closed early to allow our lovely staff to spend time with their families!
And a reminder the Rochester Farmers Market is NOT ON Saturday 4h July.
So... get your holiday cheese soon!

BACK IN STOCK! Beet & Feta Spread (Greek salad in a dip) and Italian Olive Tapenade - whilst stock last!

A beautiful Triple Crème for June's Cheese of the Month? yes please!
Délice de Bourgogne is a pasteurized cow's milk brie style cheese from the Burgundy region of France, made by
Superbly rich, buttery and fluffy due to the added crème fraiche - the flavor is mellow, with a wonderful mushroomy aroma and a pleasantly tangy finish. Perfect for a cheese board, a cracker or simply a spoon. 25% off all month!

I may be back in Michigan but I'm still thinking about these fine French Fromageries! What I particularly love about them was that the store itself is chilled to a low temperature, allowing the cheeses to be on full display, like a cornucopia of delights, arranged perfectly - and just slightly out of reach!

Located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, Barthélemy is a cheese lover's dream and rumored to the oldest cheese shop in Paris. Now owned by this small but perfectly formed, exquisitely beautiful shop is famous for being a favorite spot for locals, chefs, and even a French president!
I purchased a 36m aged Comté (raw cow's milk Alpine from the Jura mountains), Rocamadour (raw goat cheese from the Lot region) and Maroilles (raw cow's milk cheese made in the regions of Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais in Northern France).

Back in the Loire Valley in Saumur I visited , and again marveled at the beauty of the stacked cheese displayed before me!
I selected the very vibrant Boulette d'Avesnes (a pungent, cone-shaped cheese from the Nord department of France, this vibrant, paprika-rubbed cheese is kneaded by hand with herbs and spices), Galet de la Loire (a triple-crème cow's milk cheese from the Anjou region of the Loire Valley) and a tremendously exciting Tourteau Fromagé du Poitou-Charentes (a goat cheese soufflé cake, with a scorched blackened crust).

The hospitality of my fellow cheesemongers, the aromatic beauty of the stores and the taste of these cheeses will stay with me for a long time. What a lucky Cheese Lady!

More outstanding cheese based experiences, courtesy of my French Loire Wine Trip organized by and @michiganwineschool
Our group were the guests of Chef Christophe Hay at his 2 star Michelin restaurant Fleur de Loire in Blois on the banks of the Loire River.
A simply divine curated lunch was prepared by Chef Christophe and his amazing team (including sous-chef Suzanne Vannier, winner of the 2024 edition of the La Cuisine Durable competition, and Clément Réauté, pastry chef and French Champion of Dessert 2025).
The food and wine selections were exemplary and the service meticulous! It was such a pleasure to be part of their choreographed and ritualistic approach to their celebration of gastronomy!
AND I was also treated to the most charming and informative tour around the Cheese Cart by Paul - who then plated a selection for me, including his favorite; a local goat's cheese wrapped in cherry leaves.
A total joy from start to finish!

Fortunate to have visited Farm and Cheesemaker in Cinais this week, an organic farmhouse maker of a number of PDO (protected origin) raw goat cheeses in the Loire valley.

Had a very informative presentation by Mylène Chrétien on the making of iconic Sainte Maure de Touraine AOP - wonderful, historic cheese that I have always wanted to try! To use this name, precise quality criteria must be met; in particular, the taste, texture, rind, shape and consistency is checked frequently by inspectors. This cheese is readily identified by the straw running through it bearing the makers name - how cool is that?! And yes I kept the straw.

Also met some amazing goats who work terribly hard to provide all that luscious milk for those fantastic cheeses.