Wanna hear something cheesy? We promise it’s really Grate…

By Becky Hardy

Why cheese?

I’ve worked in cheese and food retail for most of my working life. About three years ago, I decided I wanted to be my own boss. My personal life had changed dramatically (divorce and a death in the family), and I found that I didn’t want to waste time doing something I didn’t love. 

I realised there wasn’t anywhere in Newcastle dedicated purely to the love of cheese. You’ve got places like Block & Bottle who are championing great meat, well-treated animals and traceability, and nobody was doing that for cheese. I was surprised, more than anything! So I quit my job and started Grate in early 2020.

Just in time for the first lockdown, then?!

Yep! I had my business loan confirmed and my premises in mind, and then the first lockdown was imposed. I’ll freely admit, I ran around like a headless chicken for about six weeks panicking! But then it became a case of: ‘you said you were going to do it, so you’re bloody well doing it!’

What do you look for in your suppliers?

I want to champion as much local and British cheese as possible. I work closely with the suppliers I’ve chosen, like Neal’s Yard Dairy and The Fine Cheese Co., to make sure that the cheeses I sell are at their very best. Wherever possible with the locally-made cheeses, I talk directly to the makers. My customers like that I know the people who make my cheeses, I think it adds to that level of trust. And I don’t sell anything I wouldn’t eat myself – I can promise that I’ve tasted everything I sell (on a regular basis!) to make sure it’s what I want.

And you stock vegan ‘cheese’ too?

Yes, I stock a range from Tyne Chease, based in Stocksfield, but also two companies in London who make some of the best vegan cheeses on the market (according to my vegan friends!). From the day I opened, I had enquiries as to whether I would stock vegan cheese, so it just made sense. If there’s a market for it and you can find the right product, sell it!

What’s Grate’s most popular cheese?

It really varies depending on the customers that come in, but all the classics are popular – the Stilton I mentioned, traditional farmhouse cheddars like Westcombe and Montgomery’s (both from Somerset), and the Isle of Mull cheddar also has a bit of a cult following. I always sell lots of Baron Bigod, which is an English Brie style from Suffolk and made with raw milk. It’s how you want every Brie to taste! 

What’s your personal favourite?

Montgomery’s cheddar. It’s cloth-wrapped and aged, and has notes of parmesan through it – it’s wonderful! But to be honest, my tastes also change with the seasons. I’m very excited about the influx of British sheep’s milk cheeses that I’ll be stocking very soon, once lambing season starts. 

What does the (post-COVID) future of Grate look like?

If this past year has taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected! Opening the business in lockdown was potentially dangerous – it could’ve all gone wrong – but thankfully Grate has been busy and successful from day one. 

But in early December, I was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery and I could’ve lost the business again if it hadn’t been for my amazing friends who stepped in and worked so hard to open the shop on whatever days they could. Together with our customers, they really saved me. 

Just 10 days after I reopened Grate in January (with a new, all-female team behind me), the chimney stack on my building collapsed! The street was closed by the police until it was made safe. Then it snowed, stopping the builders from getting access… So as much as I have plans for what I’d like to achieve in 2021, I’m getting pretty practised at just rolling with the punches!