DAIRY connoisseurs need look no further than the multi-award-winning Little Cheesemonger, which specialises in gourmet Welsh and European cheese and now boasts two shops in North Wales.

Owner and ‘curd nerd’ Gemma Williams initially began the business in Rhuddlan in 2017, before opening a second ‘flagship’ store in Prestatyn last December.

Her passion is seeking out the best artisan foods, especially produce from within the region, to stock her fridges and shelves, and as well as cheese, she also stocks wine, special hampers, chocolates, jam, chutney, gin and much more.

She offers many special services like sharing platters, bespoke gift boxes and hampers and cheese wedding and birthday cakes, but the real feather in her cap is the guided cheese and wine tasting experiences – ticketed events led by Gemma and in-house wine expert Chris Kewin.

In the four years since starting the business, there have been a plethora of memorable moments for Gemma, including a visit from the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in April, and a raft of awards and nominations.

To name a few, The Little Cheesemonger was crowned cheese shop of the year at the 2021 Prestige Awards, and was listed among Speciality Food magazine’s inspirational cheese retailers of 2021, but Gemma’s personal highlight, she says, was opening the second shop in Prestatyn.

The new Prestatyn shop, which hosts many of the tasting events, also has its own dedicated ‘cheese cave’ which is on view to the public and matures and stores its produce.

She said: “I'd been planning to expand the business for some time in Rhuddlan and dreamt of having in-house space for our web orders, tasting events and cookery demonstrations.

“I didn’t want to close Rhuddlan; the community support for us there is outstanding. I'm so happy that I've managed to do both shops. I've earned more grey hairs in the past few months, but I like to think it's worth it.”

As well as providing residents of Rhuddlan and Prestatyn with a variety of tasty treats, Gemma has also ensured the shops are doing their bit to help the area’s profile and the environment, too.

She has appeared at the Rhuddlan Food Festival in the past, as well as working with the Clwydian Range Food & Drink group, Prestatyn Business Forum and board members for rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd to help make her stores greener.

She added: “Don't ask me how I do it as well as being a mum to a toddler!”

“I like anything to do with local events and action groups helping to raise the profile of the area and to do our bit for environmental impact. You can drop your used (cleaned) crisp packets off in the Prestatyn shop, where a local crisp packet project collects them.

“In both shops, refill your water bottle for free and rescue a meal from landfill on the food waste app ‘Too Good To Go’. Our most recent collaboration is with Rhuddlan Farmers Market, starting in September.”

For more information, visit their website at www.thelittlecheesemonger.co.uk and follow them on social media at www.facebook.com/LittleCheesemonger and www.twitter.com/bitewales.

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