MAIN STREET, WESTLER — Step inside and it's cool as a springhouse, even in the dog days. The dairy smells of fresh butter and cheese rind, the big wheels are stacked in the glass case like a castle wall, and the milk bottles stand along the top shelf in a row, like soldiers waiting on their orders.
Behind the Counter
Mr. Ned Pinter — round, rosy, and never without a cheese knife in his apron pocket. He can tell you how old a wheel of cheese is just by thumping it, and he turns every wheel in the cellar by hand once a week, chatting to them the whole time. His rule on samples: one per customer. Name the cheese and you've earned a second.
In the Case
- Cheddar — the everyday one. Sharp enough to wake you up, cheap enough to have with every supper.
- Gouda — mild and sweet under its wax, and the one the children sneak
- Brie — soft in the middle. Mr. Pinter tells you when it's ready, not the other way round.
- Aged Parmesan — ask the price and he'll tell you it isn't done yet
- Gruyère — for weddings, anniversaries, and apologies
- Butter by the crock, cream by the jug, and milk in glass bottles, fresh down from the valley farms every morning
Current Special
Cheese ends and rinds off the cutting board, wrapped in paper by the handful. Just right for a pot of soup, or for a mouse with good manners.
On the Notice Board
