Vickie Anderson and Ian Tomlinson own the Liverpool Cheese Company, which was first opened in 2006. The shop is situated in a grade II-listed old dairy in Woolton Village
A unique shop tucked away in a village that’s like a portal to the past is drawing customers from all over. Vickie Anderson and Ian Tomlinson are at the helm of Liverpool Cheese Company, founded in 2006.
Located in a heritage-grade II listed building which used to serve as an old dairy, Woolton Village boasts this haven dedicated to artisan and specialist cheeses. A bounty of over 200 types of cheese beckons visitors from far and wide.
Speaking previously with the ECHO, Vickie said her former job, which took her across the nation, “was a bit tedious”. She perceived a gap in the market in Liverpool – a one-stop-shop for an expansive selection of cheeses was absent.
Seizing the moment, they conceived Liverpool Cheese Company. Vickie said: “I went to train in The Cheese Shop in Chester owned by Carole Faulkner. She trained me and then we opened in Woolton Village.”
Describing cheese as something quite magical, Vickie enthused about the astonishing spectrum of flavours birthed from what is, at its heart, the controlled spoilage of milk. Altering the process ever so slightly, whether by virtue of a cow’s habitat or rearing method, can wholly transform the flavour.
Among the myriad “weird and wonderful” cheeses on offer, Vickie pointed out that perhaps the parmesan stands as the oldest, while highlighting the Norwegian brown cheese as a particularly unique treasure of the shop.
This traditional Norwegian whey cheese, often made with any available milk, boasts a sweet toffee flavour. Its creation involves boiling milk, cream and whey for several hours until the water evaporates, causing the milk sugar to caramelise.
The cheese is typically served in thin slices cut from the block and is commonly referred to as brunost (brown cheese). It’s a breakfast staple for many Norwegian families, or used to make a fondue served with game.
Merseyside’s Vickie and Ian could very well be the region’s top cheese connoisseurs, regularly sharing their expertise during cheese schools. Twice a month, the couple head to the city centre to educate people about various cheeses, which are then paired with fine wines.
Vickie shared: “People come from all over. During our cheese schools we have had people from Wigan and Ormskirk.”
She also previously told the ECHO: “Woolton is the shopping area for quite a large geographical area – for Hunts Cross and as far away as Rainhill.
“A lot of people come here, we have customers that come for a day out from Bolton, Bury or Birmingham because people like a cheese shop – we’re a bit of a destination.”
