January at Laliberté

A belated Happy New Year to you all! I hope your holiday season was exactly what you needed—full of good food, good drinks, and time with people you love. Hopefully it filled you up enough to face this very foggy January.

December Recap

Christmas at Laliberté was, for lack of a better word, spectacular. This was our second Christmas in the shop, and despite bigger lines and more customers, I think we handled it pretty well (and hopefully none of you went home hangry).

We’re more knowledgeable, faster at wrapping what felt like endless amounts of cheese, and overall much calmer when looking up from a charcuterie board to see a shop full of people waiting to be served… ahem. That one might have been me.

We loved the opportunity to work on a few different corporate gifting projects over the holidays. Companies and organisations saying thank you through the gift of good food! And we appreciated all of the opportunities to be a distant part of your festivities with our charcuterie board offerings.

Cheese Stats: What you Loved in December

Anyone else love cheese stats?

Our top-selling cheese in December was Délice de Bourgogne—which will surprise absolutely no one who knows this cheese. According to my very non-mathematician calculations, we sold nearly 34kg of it.

Coming in second was our house-made Truffle Brie, followed by Oveja de Truffe, and then the always-popular Cave-Aged Gruyère. Honestly, that’s a pretty perfect board for a truffle lover.

UK Cheese Availability

Colston Bassett Stilton wasn’t far behind, but sadly its availability has now… fallen off a cliff.

Due to limited UK dairy quotas, British cheeses are once again a bit uncertain. We do still have some items arriving—like Godminster Bio Cheddar—but Stiltons and Shropshires are unavailable for now. If last year is any indication, we should see more options return in early spring.

January At The Shop

As you may have noticed if you’ve stopped by recently, we decided not to close in January this year. Turns out, January is still a pretty good cheese month. Maybe it’s because January 20th is National Cheese Lover’s Day. Maybe it’s because it’s cold, wet, and dark and melted cheese feels like a survival strategy. Or maybe some of you are doing Dry January and thought, why make it harder by giving up cheese too?

What is the equivalent of Dry January for cheese anyway? Sad January? Why-Even-Bother-Getting-Out-of-Bed January? After enjoying a piping hot bowl of Ankia’s French Onion Soup last night—with a mouth-blistering layer of melted cheese—I can confidently say: January cheese is where it’s at. The holidays are over, the cookies are gone… and now it’s just cheese.

We’ve done a pretty good job (IMHO) keeping the shelves stocked while waiting for post-holiday shipments, though we did completely run out of a few things—tinned seafood, in particular. At one point, I think we were down to our last couple of tins of smoked mussels. The good news? We’re restocked, with more on the way. Sardinha from Portugal is back (those bright, cheerful tins!), along with some new flavours and a few new brands to explore.

From The Kitchen

Ankia & the team have been busy restocking the grab-n-go freezer, and there’s a clear theme this month. Broccoli & Blue Cheese Soup (silky, with a nice blue tang), a fresh batch of French Onion Soup, Blue Cheese Croquettes, our classic Mac & Cheese, and this month’s specialty: Blue Cheese Mac & Cheese.

If you love blue cheese, you’re in luck. If you think you don’t, may I suggest giving it another try. Blue cheese mellows beautifully when melted into a creamy base. One of my favourite ways to use it is adding a bit of Bleu Fumé Saint-Benoît-du-Lac  (or the much shorter “Quebec smoked blue”) to lasagna with béchamel. So good.

New & Returning Products

Sheep Yogurt – Fromagerie Nouvelle France (Quebec). I loved this yogurt. Thick, creamy, and luxurious—perfect as a dessert topping, or in a fruit and yogurt bowl. I’ll admit, I mostly ate it on its own after dinner because the texture felt like such a treat. It has that classic sheep’s milk sweetness without any farminess.

We carried both vanilla (mildly flavoured) and natural, which seemed to be the overall favourite. If you’d like to see it return, let us know by asking to be notified when it’s back in stock. As much as I love it, I can only eat so much myself.

Our charcuterie boards have also expanded to include a Fresh Fruit Platter, a Crudité & Dip Platter and our Pacific Smoked Salmon & blini board. All are available to order on our website and make great additions to your party table.

Caviar was very popular over the holidays and will remain part of our offerings. If you’re hoping to include some in your Valentine’s Day plans, I recommend pre-ordering so we can bring in exactly what you’d like.

Valentine's Day Is Coming

We’re already planning treats for your special night. Our mini Lover's Cheese Tower and Romance Box for Two are available to order now through Valentine’s Day. Add a baguette or a few extra treats—like our beautiful French candied fruit—to round out the evening.

Looking Ahead

More cheese, obviously. More unique and exciting products from Europe. And… events!

Ankia and I have a couple of exciting trips planned this year. In March, we’ll be heading to Europe to source new products from Italy and France. In October, we’ll be expanding our cheese knowledge with hands-on cheesemongering training—something I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time. And, if all goes well, maybe even a little “feet up” time too.

We’re so grateful for your continued support and for the community that’s grown around this little shop. Thank you for letting us be part of your tables, gatherings, and everyday meals.

As the year gets underway, we’re looking forward to what’s ahead—new cheeses, new ideas, and plenty of delicious moments along the way.

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