Buy less more often. This is the advice given by Alexandre Guarneri, cheesemonger and Director at Androuet fine cheese shop and cheese & wine bar in Old Spitalfields market.
Buy less more often. This is the advice given by Alexandre Guarneri, cheesemonger and Director at Androuet Fine Cheese Shop and Cheese & Wine bar in Old Spitalfields market. “If you buy too much cheese at once,” he warns, “it can become a burden rather than a pleasure.”
In order to encourage this less-is-more approach, the selection of artisan cheeses at Androuet is modest but perfectly, and lovingly, curated. Although the shop is relatively new to London (we visited the day after their first anniversary), It was established in Paris over 100 years ago, where it now has several branches. Maintaining strong ties to his native France, Guarneri regularly visits producers across the country, seeking out the best seasonal cheeses to introduce into their UK selection. And unlike most other vendors, they mature the cheeses on site. “We don't put anything on the shelf until it’s ready,” Guarneri explains. “Cheeses can stay in our lockers for anywhere between one week and ten months before we make it available to customers.”
Since establishing themselves in London, Androuet have struck up a partnership with one of Britain’s most well-respected cheesemongers, Paxton and Whitfield, who have had a shop on Jermyn Street for over 200 years. They supply Androuet with their English picks and Androuet reciprocate with a French selection. It is a match made in cheese-lover’s heaven.
After leaving Economics school to become a cheesemonger, which he describes as his “vocation,” Guarneri found himself in London where he first discovered Montgomery cheddar (one of three true artisan cheddars from Somerset alongside Westcombe and Keen). It was then that he realised London was the perfect place for a cultural exchange à la fromage. “At first everyone in France thought I was crazy to say there was good English cheese, but now, people have even started buying English cheeses in Paris."
As we’re reeling from this extraordinary piece of information, we establish ourselves at Androuet’s Cheese & Wine bar to try a couple of the house specialities: fondue made with 18-month aged Comté and Emmental grand cru, and a tartiflette with potatoes, bacon, cream and Reblochon – both traditional recipes that are brought to life by the cheeses’ robust flavours. Back in the shop our current favourites—alongside the Montgomery cheddar—are Brie de Melun (which reignited our appreciation for this over-produced variety), and a Livarot from Normandy – not for the faint-of-heart. At P&W we love the College White from the Oxford Cheese Company and the Cornish Blue, 2010’s World Cheese Champion. Androuet also offer some of the finest butter available in London: the creamy and highly desirable Beurre de Baratte made by Jean-Yves Bordier.
Text by Ananda Pellerin
Ananda and Neil visited Androuet on Saturday 9 April at midday, and again on Saturday 30 April at midday, after visiting Paxton and Whitfield at 10:30am.
Ananda Pellerin is a London-based writer and the Editor of Wheel Me Out. Neil Wissink is a visual artist also based in London.
