Neal's Yard Dairy

Neal's Yard Dairy is a British and Irish cheese specialist whose Covent Garden shop stands on Shorts Gardens, close to the Seven Dials lanes the business takes its name from. It is known for selecting and maturing outstanding cheese from farms across Britain and Ireland, working closely with the cheesemakers it buys from, and its stated aim is to sell each cheese at its best.

The company describes its work as selecting and ageing cheese, supporting British cheesemakers and helping to preserve raw milk cheese production. That advocacy runs through everything it publishes, from recipes and a blog to educational films and in-store tastings, which gives the business a role as a champion of British cheese as much as a retailer. It also runs a wholesale and export operation and supplies corporate gifts.

The cheese shop Covent Garden cooks rely on

The counter carries hard, soft and blue farmhouse cheese, including names such as Colston Bassett Stilton, Stichelton, Baron Bigod, Tunworth and Lincolnshire Poacher, along with curated selections and celebration cheese cakes for weddings and parties. A cheese of the month subscription, accompaniments, wine, beer and cider round out the range, so a visit can cover a cheeseboard, a gift or a single wedge for supper.

What to expect on a visit

The shop opens daily, from 11am early in the week and from 10.30am Thursday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours. Payment is by card only and the premises have no wheelchair access. Staff cut to order and will taste you through the counter before you choose. It sits a few minutes from the piazza among the food and gift shops of Covent Garden, with Barnaby's chocolate shop on Upper St Martin's Lane nearby for the sweet half of a hamper.