La Fromagerie: a return visit to cheese heaven

Marylebone High Street in central London has become a mecca for foodies in the last few years but the jewel in the crown is undoubtedly Patricia Michelson’s La Fromagerie, a glorious jumble of a shop that sells everything from cheese (obviously) to chocolate, via honeys and herbal infusions.

The cheese room itself is on the right, full of great golden wheels of gruyere, cheddar and parmesan, oozing Vacherin Mont d’Or, grey-green moulded goats cheeses (matured for longer than most other cheesemongers dare), glorious globes of milky-white mozzarella . . . it’s sheer cheese heaven.

There’s a traiteur side selling salads, cold meats and wonderful cakes, some great breads, an eclectic selection of vegetables including hard-to-find cavolo nero) and an interesting and highly individual selection of wines, mainly from Italy and France. All this produce is also available in the ‘cafe’, which, if truth be told is a couple of trestle tables and 3 small ones all crammed into the back of the shop. You just pray there’ll be space when you turn up.

The other day I had a lunchtime salad of lentils with chicken, chestnuts, cooked cavolo nero and some fabulously crispy bits of fried speck (bacon) which Patricia insisted (rightly) I try with a glass of Corbieres - a Chateau Prieur de Bubas The Garrigue - a wonderfully earthy combination.

She has just relaunched her website www.lafromagerie.co.uk (on which mooing cows and cow bells greet you as you log on). Although you can’t buy cheese from the site you can check out the ‘virtual cheese room’ which lists the cheeses they stock and, in a few cases, the wines that pair best with them. (There are, apparently, more pairings in the pipeline) Patricia also holds regular food and wine events, many in conjunction with Slow Food.

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