A Cheese Lover's Guide to Northern Wales

When you think about Wales, what comes to mind? Fields of sheep? Unwieldy, unpronounceable town names? Mines? Dragons? Ryan Reynolds?

Look, Wales may not have the romantic appeal of Ireland, but it totally should. Not only does this country boast equally gorgeous landscapes (and far more castles than you’d expect for its 8,000 square miles), but it’s also rich in local terroir — particularly when it comes to cheese in Northern Wales. While Wales’s best-known cheese — chalky, lactic Caerphilly — hails from the southern part of the country, North Wales is home to its own host of cheese-driven experiences, ripe for discovery for any turophile with a good raincoat and sense of adventure.

Kick off your exploration in Hawarden, in Flintshire, about a 40 minute drive from Manchester airport. Former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone lived here in Hawarden Castle, and he bequeathed his personal library to the town. You can stay here overnight or simply stop to marvel at the incredible 150,000-volume collection, making sure to visit on-site café Food for Thought for a cheese plate boasting selections that may include a pressed cheese infused with leeks, a crumbly Welsh cheddar or a mild blue. All are paired with crackers, grapes, a house-made spiced tomato chutney and the most incredible brown sugar walnuts I’ve ever had (which I have on good authority the otherwise un-bribable chair of trustees is particularly besotted with).

While in Hawarden, be sure to check out the Hawarden Estate, which has its own on-site café that serves wood-fired pizzas and a farm shop with a cheese counter rich in local delights — including Snowdonia cheddar with pickled onion, Blaenafon Cheddar with chili, Y Fenni Welsh cheddar with wholegrain mustard and ale, and soft cheeses like Perl Las or Angiddy.

Cheeseheads in North Wales are obliged to stop in the pretty village of Mold, not just because of its name, but to pay a visit to the Olive Tree, which has somewhere between 50 and 80 cheeses for sale at any given time. Owner Richard Howells started out hoping to promote exclusively Welsh cheese, but he’s since branched out to offer a host of British and continental choices, focusing more on quality than on provenance. He does, nevertheless, have some standout Welsh offerings, including Golden Cenarth, a funky cheese washed in cider that he dubs “way better than Epoisses.” (And even as a Francophile with a love of this Burgundian specialty, I’m wont to agree.) The shop also sells a variety of things that go with cheese, including charcuterie, crackers and cheese boards. Plus, every other Friday, you can partake in a wine and cheese tasting with prosecco, charcuterie, seven cheeses, wines and Port. Priced at just £26.99, it’s no wonder these events book up early, so reserve a spot to avoid disappointment.

Picnic tables with a view at Bodnant Welsh Food

Emily Monaco

In the heart of the Conwy Valley, Bodnant Welsh Food is home to an imposing farm shop complete with loads of cheesy choices. What’s more, there are picnic tables on-site with a view of the estuary where you can dig into your selections. These don’t just include cheese: from clotted cream fudge to Stilton cheese biscuits to Penderyn Whisky and local beers, there’s something for everyone. (Keep an eye out for Black Sheep, a rare sheep’s milk truckle with a delightful flavor.) If you prefer, you could also pull up a chair at one of two on-site restaurants, both of which boast regularly-changing menus that often include cheese in some form, whether it’s the simple ploughman’s at the Furnace or the rarebit dip for house-made sausages at the Hayloft Bar and Grill.

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Speaking of which, as a cheese lover in Wales, you’re obliged to have at least one Welsh rarebit. You’ll find this dish, a humble yet delicious combo of toast and cheese sauce, on nearly every café menu in the area. But a truly standout iteration can be found at Whistlestop on the Pier, a pocket-sized pavilion located, as its name suggests, on the Garth Pier. The cheddar rarebit is seasoned with a generous helping of mustard before it’s slathered on grainy bloomer bread and broiled until melty. Enjoy it at one of the tables scattered outside the hut and take in the views (and windy Welsh weather), wrapped in one of the fleece blankets provided to keep out the chill. (A word to the wise: while the Welsh are strong of constitution, if the weather is truly foul, this spot is liable to shut without warning, so call ahead.)

The Welsh rarebit at Whistlestop on the Pier

Emily Monaco

You can’t trek through the North Wales cheesescape without visiting a cheese producer. And while there are loads to choose from, Carrie Rimes’s Cosyn Cymru, located in a deconsecrated Catholic Church, stands out in more ways than one. Rimes is a long-time Walian originally from Devon who uses know-how gleaned from years working in French dairies to produce local ewe’s milk cheeses — ironically a rarity, given the local preponderance of sheep. She makes a Manchego-esque hard cheese and a long-aged cousin of Caerphilly, but the crown jewel is undoubtedly Brefu Bach, a soft cheese with a creamy texture and lovely lactic finish. Her on-site shop is open every day from 2 to 5 p.m. and sells not just her cheeses but her hand-made yogurt and a few locally-sourced products like crackers, fresh produce, coffee, pottery and some of the best lemon curd you’ll ever try.

You can also try Rimes’s cheese and loads of other selections at the charming & Caws, a cheese shop in the picturesque town of Menai Bridge about a 15-minute drive away. Selections may include a local fresh chèvre and the only unpasteurized Brie from the U.K. (made in Aberystwyth in West Wales). Mon Las, meanwhile, is a blue made on the nearby island of Anglesey, similar in style to French Fourme d’Ambert. The homey tables towards the back of the shop are the perfect place to enjoy a lunchtime selection of sandwiches, toasties or soups. Come on Friday night for the cheese and wine bar where small plates and cheese boards are paired with the perfect tipple.