Cheese lovers paradise in South Molton!
I went to visit Ali at The Cheese Stall in South Molton Pannier Market and what a treat it was! Read on to discover more.
I have lived in Devon all of my life but I confess that I have never been to South Molton. Little did I know that it’s market is one of the best in the country! Especially for cheese lovers!
The pannier market is currently undergoing renovation but remains a thriving indoor market. It has more than 60 stalls offering such a wide selection of goodies including of course Cheese!
It was recently voted Britain’s Favourite Market at the Great British Market Awards! But this isn’t the first time they have won. In fact they have won this award for the past four years!
Ali took over running the stall nearly four years ago when the previous owner decided to give it up to spend more time with family. Ali was selling meat from her farm (Yetland Farm) at the market anyway and decided she could take a chance on the cheese stall as well.
A cheese lovers paradise!
It almost goes without saying that Ali is passionate about cheese. When I asked her what particular cheeses drew her eye she said she liked to “offer something a bit different, that you’re not going to find in a supermarket”. She champions local producers and these sit comfortably admist the sheer sea of cheese on offer in her counter.
This was part of the reason she chose us to begin supplying her with cheese. She first approached us at the Source Trade Show back in 2024 and we were “part of the reason I came to the show, I saw that you were there and wanted to come and see you.” “I was looking for a local supplier who could get me not just the cheeses but deliver a great service too” after she was let down by another supplier. We have delivered to her almost every week ever since.
Just look at the cheese selection!
With so many cheeses to choose from it’s no wonder that for the brief time that I was there the stall was almost never without a customer. Cheese lovers appeared every few minutes to get their cheeses ready for the weekend.
I asked Ali which of the enormous array of cheeses was her bestseller: “I’d say the Montagnolo or the Somerset Brie sells best for us.” I told her that the Montagnolo is actually one of my favourites too. It has all the best qualities of a brie. Soft and creamy combined with the distinct sharpness of a blue.
The Somerset brie at the moment is beautifully ripe with a soft, bloomy rind and buttery flavour.
Alongside these two bestsellers Ali picks two cheeses each month to highlight. She usually likes to go for “a British cheese like Yarg or Sharpham or something, a blue, a soft or a foreign cheese”.
This month there were two cheeses of the month including the Stärnächäs. If I tell you you need to get to the market NOW to secure this cheese before the end of the month you may get an inkling of how incredibly good it is. Rich, creamy, nutty it’s kind of like Comte (another of my favourites!) but kicked up a notch.
Cheeses are cut bespoke to order!
Each cheese is cut by hand to the customer request. The whole cheeses are laid out in the counter before and once the customer chooses they estimate how much or how little they would like. Ali or Katrina cut the cheese before wrapping it and weighing it ready to sell.
It’s a very different system to the packaged, machine cut cheeses you may find in a supermarket. The service is a cut above and allows Ali and the team to get to know their customers and fill their counter accordingly to their tastes.
In case you can’t tell I very much enjoyed my time with Ali and marvelling at all of the different cheeses. If you’re a cheese lover and are ever in the area make sure to pop in. The market runs on Thursdays and Saturdays and you may just come away with something incredible. Thanks for having me Ali!
To view our full range of cheeses click here or if you’re already a customer you can find every single one of our cheeses on the app.
