A guide to looking after your cheese counter

In the busy life of a cheesemonger, keeping things spick and span is no doubt part of the everyday task list that often gets done without much ceremony. Muscle memory can take over, you can get it done efficiently so long as you have the right tools to hand, and when it comes to training you can reel off your methodology like it’s on the back of your hand. 

However, when things are manic – think summer holidays, when staff are sick, and during the festive period – it’s easy to let such things slip in the desire to keep as many customers happy and served as swiftly as possible. 

This means that the odd refresh of best practice can work wonders; not least when new colleagues are joining the team.

Separate for safety

Moz Murphy of grate Newcastle suggests keeping things separate for optimum cleanliness. “We always use separate boards and knives for blue, soft and hard cheeses – cross contamination can happen very easily.” The grate team also has a separate cutting area for soft cheeses, which are prepared with knives or lyres, and a board dedicated to blue cheeses – “always the one in the middle of the counter,” says Moz.

She also suggests that it might be helpful to have additional equipment to hand for busy periods. “Have more equipment than you think you need; I’ve inherited several extra Handee cutting boards which are invaluable at peak times like Christmas when you have 20 people waiting to be served but the washing up isn’t done!”

Clean as you go

The time-honoured skill of thorough handwashing has, in many situations, taken a back seat in favour of the speed and on-the-go convenience of antibacterial wipes and sanitisers, but not at grate says Moz. “Hot water is your friend!” she says. “I’d rather take the time to wash something up instead of using a cloth or sanitiser.”

When Moz and the team use cloths, everything is disposable where possible, and she has learned to not expect that everyone around you shares the same habits around cleanliness… “Don’t assume that everyone cleans like you do!” she says. “Make sure all members of the team have good instructions to follow and train them well.”

When it comes to keeping this vital element of your work low-impact for you and your team, particularly during peak times, Moz suggests the old adage of cleaning as you go. “’Clean as you go’ is a great lesson – if you keep on top of things they don’t pile up,” she adds. “Taking two or three minutes in between serving customers ensures they won’t get out of hand.”

Clear scheduling is the order of the day at grate. “We have a daily and weekly schedule for everyone to follow so we don’t have a build up of tasks and any time.”

Keep your common sense

For Mark Kacary of The Norfolk Deli, keeping it simple and relying on common sense has served the business well. “Make sure that the cheese counter is clean and cleaned regularly and one is constantly washing hands.” Keeping clothes and equipment clean and is sometimes more easily said than done, but are simple ways to help the fight against bad bacteria taking over you cheese selection.

Mark also suggests making sure that members of the team know what the contact time is to avoid harmful bacteria or cross contamination, as well as working together to ensure that the temperature of the cheese counter is within permissible limits. 

Maintaining the strict hygiene levels of a cheese counter may well seem like muscle memory, but by reminding everyone in your team how to do it thoroughly – and why it’s so important – will keep your cheeses in optimum condition and customers coming back for more.