A 95 minute queue in the cheese shop
I took today off to get some things ready for Christmas. One of those traditional things is queueing for cheese at Iain Mellis on Great Western Road. Usually the queue is approximately 1 hour - this year it was 95 minutes! But it’s always a good humoured, Christmas-spirited sort of queue, and the cheese is cracking. And I’m only really allowed cheese a few times a year, so it’s worth the wait.
And in case you’re wondering what I bought:
- Spenwood - a hard ewes milk cheese with a nice nutty flavour. Great with fruit. Even better with Christmas cake.
- Berkswell - another hard ewes milk cheese, but a bit saltier - more like Pecorino.
- Strathdon blue - From Aberdeenshire. I’ve not had this before, but looks like it has a nice blue-cheese kick and saltiness balanced with creaminess
- Golden Cross - a goats cheese log rolled in ash and with a white mould (sounds v. appetising, doesn’t it?).
- Cooleeney - an Irish soft cheese a bit like Camembert. Needs to be eaten young otherwise the farmyardyness is a bit too much.
Does he do cheese by post? Could be limited to the local area if he’s worried about over-subscription.
Just out of curiosity, approx. how many people were infront of you when you joined the cue?
Probably around 35-40. When I joined the queue it was outside the shop, down the pavement, so maybe 10 people outside, 30 or so inside (curled round the back of the shop). There were 3-4 staff serving, but only one weighing machine and till, so it was a bit of a jostle. Usually when you go to Mellis there’s maybe 1 or 2 other people in the shop, so this is quite unusual.
I just had imiges of Frasier and Niles holdinmg the cue up.
I did spend part of my time in the queue with a medium ginger spiced latte though. The only thing that went on in the queue was the usual friendly weegie banter.