Here at We Love Perth we love cheese, absolutely love it, so we were very excited to hear about Little Cheese Shop that recently opened up in Bayswater! Run by husband and wife team, Geoff and Emma, the little store is situated on Whatley Crescent and is packed to the brim with dairy goodness, and some rather lovely accompaniments, too. We had a chat with Geoff who might love cheese even more than us…
What inspired you to open your shop?
The inspiration for Little Cheese Shop is to expose all cheese lovers (let’s be honest, everyone loves cheese) to wonderful, unique, artisan cheeses and accompaniments and the great stories and culture behind them. Also, as locals in Bayswater, we wanted to bring a great venue to Bayswater and a new destination for people wanting something different.
What has led you to opening a cheese shop?
I was a chef in Perth for 14 years, working with some amazing chefs and at some amazing establishments. I was head chef at Blue Duck and 44 King Street and sous chef at Must Wine bar. I also worked at Altos, Parmelia Hilton Perth and Vines Resort in the Swan Valley. After cheffing, I moved to Blue Cow Cheese Company and worked there for 7 and a half years. It was over that time at Blue Cow that I got to experience their wonderful cheeses and the pleasure in presenting these unique, artisanal products to chefs in Perth’s leading venues. Over this time, I had the opportunity to travel to France, Italy and Ireland to see artisan cheese being made, and to learn the stories and history of the producers and the romance of hand made cheeses.
My wife Emma has worked in hospitality for a number of years. She studied fashion at UWA and also works as a manager at Country Road. Emma is the design and financial brains of the shop… and of course she loves her cheese!
What cheeses do you sell? Will these vary at time to time, or is your cheese menu pretty fixed?
We offer a large range of imported and Australian cheeses from producers using traditional farmhouse cheese producing methods. Everything from French brie, Spanish cheeses, Cave aged cheddar from England, cheese from Yarra Valley Dairy, Woodside Cheese Wrights and raw milk Swiss cheeses from Rolf Beeler.
As well as the unique fromage selection we carry wonderful fruit pastes, biscuits, and locally made Poach Pear pâtés, terrines and rillette. You’ll also find handmade cheese boards and cheese motif tea towels by Soft Constructions.
The range of cheeses will be ever evolving with trends and seasons and my favourites. With spring on its way the lighter styles are coming into season – expect bries and goats cheeses to feature .
What are your favourites at the moment?
My favourites at the moment are the Red Cow, Rolf Beeler aged Gruyere and Toggenburger from Switzerland. My favourite Italian cheese is a hard goat’s cheese that has been rubbed in hay. And my favourite soft cheese is the Yarra Valley White Savourine Goats cheese.
Any plans in the works for your business?
We plan to host more wine and cheese nights, and beer and cheese nights. And when a cheese producer is over in Perth, to give the opportunity for customers to meet the maker. We can also put together a cheese selection together for any occasion.
Every Saturday I will bake tarts, muffins and other cheesey numbers for cheese lovers to come down and buy, plus freshly baked bread will be available on Fridays and Saturdays. Geoff
Little Cheese Shop is open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm and can be found at 89C Whatley Crescent, Bayswater.