Review: St Giles Cheese, Northampton
If someone was to ask ‘where can I buy the best artisan cheese in our beautiful county of Northamptonshire’, I would most definitely respond with ‘St Giles Cheese‘. I eat cheese daily, whether sliced in a sandwich or panino, scattered over a salad or cured meats, grated and tossed through my daily pasta, or simply scoffed in a rustic wedge during a quick visit to the fridge at midnight. However St Giles Cheese is not just a nationally-acclaimed shop specialising in fine artisan cheeses from the UK and Europe, it offers much more.
Since 2010 St Giles Cheese has been treating Northamptonians to the best Belgian chocolates money can buy. They are made by a relatively small company called Van Coillie, which has been producing these special pralines for generations. You may find them in a certain Knightsbridge outlet where they are re-branded with the house name and sold for nearly three times the price! They are probably the best chocolates available in our county.
St Giles Cheese also has a fabulous arrangement of wines, condiments, meats, rustic breads, plus an extensive range of sweet treats. It is a heavenly destination with a beautiful shop front that leaves you feeling slightly whimsical – it gives you an impression of standing outside a French deli with your face pressed firmly against the window. Or is that just me when I’m holding my wicker basket, ready to fill it with breads, cheeses and chocolates?
It’s coming around to that time of year again! Dare we say it? Christmas will be upon us in a flash. St Giles Cheese is able to put together all manner of gifts from little goody bags for £10-15 to family-size hampers. Drawing from the range of sweet, savoury and boozy products, customers can either choose specific items or simply provide a budget to play with. Cheese box prices range from £25 to around £50; hampers from £35 upwards.
So if you haven’t visited St Giles Cheese, I recommend you do and please, take a large basket or two. The shop is open Mon to Sat from 9.15am–5.30pm, closed Sundays. 77 St Giles Street, Northampton, 01604 622271.
