Inspirational Cheese Retailers 2025: Green & Lovely

Green & Lovely
Location: East Molesey
Founders: Paul and Lucy Donoughue
Founded: 2022

When Paul Donoughue returned to the UK, having spent two hard years opening a restaurant and cocktail bar in the Seychelles (no mean feat, he says) after years in hotels, catering and commercial property, he wasn’t sure what would come next.

“After that experience I didn’t want to go into another restaurant or cocktail bar for a while,” he jokes. “I was definitely looking for a change, so I went to see a career consultant, who asked, ‘if you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?’”

His top three were an airline pilot, rock star or deli owner. “She looked at me and said, ‘well, two of those are unrealistic’. I came home to my wife with this piece of paper and she said, ‘well, there we are then’.”

That was back in 2020, and it took the couple a while to find the perfect premises for Green & Lovely, while planning, and deciding on exactly what the shop would be.

“My vision,” says Paul, “was that I wanted to get good food where we live in East Molesey. I thought, ‘why do I have to get in the car and drive to find it?’. We’re surrounded by gorgeous places – Hampton Court Palace, lots of lovely restaurants and bars -  but we didn’t have a decent deli-style shop. I wanted to build the kind of place I’d go to. Not just for the food, but for all the elements of it.”

Paul says he was drawn to the idea of supporting the British farming and dairy industry and small producers. “I know how hard they struggle and thought it would be brilliant to help these guys out. Great food, from great people – those are the pillars we started from.”

Learning on the job

Paul and Lucy weren’t the first people to open a food shop without retail experience, but it didn’t make it any less unnerving. When they welcomed their first customers in 2022, with a modest range of 25 cheeses, Paul says he was terrified. “I’d never done this before. I didn’t know what would sell and what wouldn’t,” he reveals. “But as I was serving people cheeses, giving them little tasters, I saw this magic in their eyes – like they were tasting a little piece of heaven. I thought, ‘this works’.”

Through tasting and experimenting, the couple have learned what customers appreciate, and increased their offering over and over again.

A welcoming experience

The first thing that hits you, undeniably, as you enter Green & Lovely is the smell of cheese, Paul says. “It’s not a big shop, around 300sq ft. The counter is right in front of you, and the other fridges are filled with lots of lovely things. Everyone gets a warm welcome, and we instinctively know if they want to wander around for a nosy, or if they’re after something in particular.”

Paul says their approach to sales is genuine, honest and friendly. “We are keen and enthusiastic and want to make the experience with us as good as possible. When we sell cheese, we give a lot of information, for example, so if you’re having a dinner party, you might remember a few snippets of what we said, so you can tell your guests and impress them.”

It’s a method that clearly works, with 80% of customers being return visitors. “It makes me feel warm and fuzzy we’re doing the right thing,” Paul smiles.

The best of British

Green & Lovely’s counter is weighted heavily towards British cheeses. It’s crucial, Paul thinks, to support the nation’s makers. “It’s one of the most important heritages of this country, and it’s pure passion. Nobody goes into cheese for the money. We do what we can to explain to customers how important the industry is. We should never lose it, in the same way we should never lose festival culture, art culture or band culture.”

All the classic continental cheeses are, of course, in stock, he adds. “You’ve got to have your Gruyère, scooping Gorgonzola and Munster. We don’t have European Brie, though. Instead we have Welsh Brie and two English Bries. You have to stock Baron Bigod these days!”

Paul spends a lot of time thinking about the counter, ensuring all countries in Britain are represented – with a particular fondness for Welsh cheese, which he thinks is “absolutely brilliant”.

“When people come in and say, ‘oh, boring Cheddar’, I say, ‘get your mouth around this’. Keen’s isn’t boring. Westcombe isn’t boring. These are incredible cheeses. I love sharing that knowledge and spreading happiness through cheese because, my God, what incredible varieties we have!”