With mounting piles of papers and books to read I needed a place to stimulate my food policy brain. After weeks and weeks of discussing whats wrong with the food system it was nice to spend time in a place where its seems to be right. A place where the bottom line doesn't mean compromising quality for price by squeezing the source - farmers.
My love for cheese is more like a series of short-lived passionate love affairs - I often can't get enough of a certain cheese and then my interest sort of wavers and I need to take a break and try another.
It's clearly a long-lasting love for Patricia Michelson, proprietor of La Fromagerie. By chance, I got to talking with her a bit and only after a while did I realize she owned the place. I absolutely share her philosophy on food and cooking - use really great ingredients and not to muddle them up by twisting them in ways where the original characteristics disappear.
Patricia has all sorts of cheeses from all over Europe, as well as from a number of producers - cows, sheep, goats, and buffaloes. If you are in London you must stop by either of her two shops, but if you are elsewhere in the world take a look at her cheese room on the web.
After exploring the store I sat down for breakfast. There are community style tables with benches or smaller tables for two. The store serves the most mouthwatering breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or snacks. The food is set by the table so you can feast your eyes before you make your selection. For breakfast I went simple with a soup bowl sized mocha, three sorts of toasted bread, creamy butter, and the most beautifully colored and tasting plum jam.
A few of the breads had a certain tangy-ness that when tasting you knew it came from a special starter.
I so much enjoyed my breakfast I got hardly any reading done. Oh well.
La Fromagerie, 2-6 Moxon St, London, W1U 4EW & 30 Highbury Park, London, N5 2AA
Oh! I'm enchanted and envious. And, I adore your blog. Whats your current cheese passion? What are you munching on?
Ellie
Posted by: Ellie Barczak | Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 04:24 PM
Ellie: A mild english Oak Smoked Cheddar! Sometimes the farmhouse variety is a bit much for me so I like the milder kind. A few little chunks on an oatcake - no other snack comes close!
Posted by: Gastroanthropologist | Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 05:07 PM
I'm with you. Instead of poking my nose into books, I'd be poking my nose into cheese!
Posted by: Nate | Friday, October 24, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Cheese heaven, Chef. I love it! I've been having so much fun reading your blog over the last couple of days, and Derek and I are both impressed with the great photos.
Posted by: Lena | Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Hey Lena and Derek! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the blog.
Posted by: Gastroanthropologist | Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 09:25 AM
Wow - lucky we don't all live near a shop like this - you'd never be able to get in for the crowds....
Posted by: James | Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 05:48 PM