About Us

Our entire team here at Chorlton Cheesemongers is passionate about cheese, and about sharing our love of this simple yet infinitely diverse product with our customers.

We strive to make the service we give to our customers truly exceptional, drawing on our knowledge and expertise to give everyone who visits us an enjoyable and unique experience, with the chance to taste, ask questions, and be introduced to flavours and textures they may not have tried before. 

At our shop's core is a selection of the most inspiring and exciting raw milk and pasteurised cheeses currently being made, focusing on cheesemakers of The British Isles and Ireland, with the addition of some of the best regional examples from around the world.

We have cheese made from cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk, traditional animal rennet and vegetarian varieties, blues, washed rinds, fresh yogurty cheeses, young curds, soft creamy cheeses and traditional hearty regional cheeses - many which you will only find in a few specialist Cheesemongers in the UK.

Here at Chorlton Cheesemongers it is important for us to know all about our cheesemakers, who they are, their history, their stories and their processes so there is a direct connection from them to you.

Cheese is made from the land, its complex flavours created by the milk, the animals and the pastures themselves. In the same way a wine’s flavour comes from the soil, the terrain and climate of a region, so too do the flavours of farmhouse and artisan cheeses. Our cheesemakers understand the importance of that connection which is why they are committed to ensuring each step is carried out sustainably and with care and passion.

Our cheeses are made on small farms, by family run businesses and independent dairies. They produce, or buy from local single source farms, the best milk which in turn makes the best cheese. To do this they practise exceptional land management and animal welfare and work in harmony with their environments to make unique, full flavoured and ‘alive’ cheeses that are as individual as the makers themselves.

Want to know more about our specialist approach? Have a look at The Way We Work.

Who We Are

  • Profile picture of Manager Chris holding a selection of cheese outside the shop in uniform; white lab coat, green apron and cloth hat, with white Chorlton cheesemongers logo

    Chris Hallam - Manager

    Raised in Lincolnshire, Chris has always had a passion for food, particularly Cheese - its connection to place, who makes it, and why it came about. He has lived in Manchester since 1999 and following a spell in London where his depth of knowledge and passion for cheese increased whilst working at Neal’s Yard Dairy, he returned North. Whilst working with Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire on the Manchester Christmas Markets and other events it became clear that opening a specialist shop was the obvious next stage of the journey.

  • Graham Kirkham - Cheesemaker

    Graham is the third-generation of Cheesemakers in his family, and son of the famous Mrs Kirkham. The last producer of traditionally made farmhouse raw-milk Lancashire cheese, Graham still makes cheese in the family farm’s Dairy with milk from their small Holstein Friesian herd. Known throughout the country and world, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire has received many awards and accolades, and was also one of Rick Steins ‘Food Heroes’.

  • Dan W

    Originally from rural Northamptonshire, Dan has a passion for all food, driven by products that are as simple and natural as possible. Working in the food industry from a young age, Dan is also a lifelong environmentalist, leading him to be drawn to the Slow Food Movement, and the practices of Small Farm and Artisan Cheese makers. He is the guiding hand on our environmental aims and practices, striving for low impact & high ethics. 

    • Holly

      Holly also joined the team in Autumn 2021, and has a keen insight into the food scene in Manchester and beyond, including what is happening in the world of cheese, and pairings of Cheese & Wines. Holly takes care of our delicate Sheep's and Goat's Cheeses, and can give you a rundown of the subtle current seasonal variations.

    • Amy

      Amy joined us in summer 2020, and since returning to her full time career in '21, still joins us regularly in the shop, and for special events. She lives locally and is also one of the Bee keepers with Old Trafford Amateur Gardeners Society, personal providing us with our local, seasonal and ethically produced Honey.