News / cheese
New shop bringing ‘the very best handmade artisan cheese to the harbour’
Following the success of their food truck and mobile vendor business, a cheesemonger business is opening a brick-and-mortar location.
The Cheese Connection was founded by Luke Maslen and will showcase the South West’s top cheeses in his new shop in Wapping Wharf.
The shop will sell cheese platters, drinks and aperitivos, with plans for future tasting events.
Maslen said he can’t wait for his new shop to serve the “enthusiastic and growing clan of artisan cheese fans”.
It is opening in the same shipping container that housed The Bristol Cheesemonger which closed its doors in July after eight years.
Luke Maslen’s new shop comes off the back of a successful mobile vendor business – photo: The Cheese Connection
The Cheese Connection has spent the last few years bringing artisan cheese to festivals, markets, pop-ups and breweries in and around Bristol.
From Maslen’s truck, he serves decadent street food, including raclette, toasties and cheese platters.
Now, from his permanent hub in Cargo 2, he will sell products from Westcombe, White Lake Cheese, and Bath Soft Cheese Co., as well as standout varieties from the UK and Ireland.
These will be paired with food and drink items from Bristol-based businesses, including Spiegel & Peach, Wiper & True, Easton Chilli, GingerBeard’s Preserves, Step and Stone and The Real Olive Company.
Customers can look forward to a calendar of tasting events, featuring upcoming appearances from Montgomery’s Cheese, The Trethowan Brothers and White Wood Dairy.
The Cheese Connection is known for its decadent toasties – photo: The Cheese Connection
Maslen said: “We’re lucky to have so many incredible cheesemakers here in the UK, supported by an enthusiastic and growing clan of artisan cheese fans, and it’s been my privilege to help connect these two communities as a mobile monger – over cheeseboards, cheesy street food and lots of storytelling.
“The new shop is the next step in our journey, and we can’t wait to start serving up some of the very best handmade artisan cheese on the harbour.
“Community has always been at the centre of what we do here, so we’re really excited to be joining one of Bristol’s most vibrant food hubs.”
The Cheese Connection opens on Friday, with Maslen offering free cheeseboards to his first 50 visitors.
Main photo: The Cheese Connection
Read next:
- Cheesemongers open Bristol’s ‘most exclusive’ bar
- ‘New chapter’ for cheesemongers as they say goodbye to Wapping Wharf
- Pilates studio to open in former nautical booksellers
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