FAQs
Orders
- Do you accept orders?
Yes, we do! All orders must go through our website so that we can manage stock, manage collection and delivery slots, securely process payments, and automatically book in deliveries with our couriers.
- Where do you deliver?
We deliver to all mainland UK addresses, but cannot deliver to the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland or any British isles, nor internationally. Some very rural Scottish postcodes take longer to deliver and come with an additional charge - we will contact you if this is the case.
If the website does not accept your postcode, please email your order, preferred delivery date, and all the delivery details to shop@cambridgecheese.com. All postcodes are input into our delivery app manually and occasionally some are missing, but we can add these for you, for any future orders.
- Can I collect?
Yes, you can, and collection is free! At checkout, a calendar will pop up and ask you to choose your preferred collection day. We offer collections from Monday to Saturday.
- Can I order in advance?
Yes, you can plan ahead or book a speedy delivery. At checkout, a calendar will pop up and ask you to choose your preferred delivery day. Please note that this delivery day is not guaranteed. While over 95% of orders arrive on time, there are extenuating circumstances which can affect our couriers and mean your order is delayed. Please order with enough notice to allow for this.
- How long does delivery take?
We deliver locally via an independent cycle courier company, Connect Cambridge, from Monday to Friday. This is a same day delivery service and costs £5. There is no tracking for local deliveries but you can leave us a note with your preferred safe place or preferred neighbour in the ‘Leave us a note’ box at checkout.
We deliver nationwide via APC from Tuesday to Thursday. This is a perishable, priority, overnight service and costs £8.50. You will receive notifications from APC once the parcel is collected from us and throughout its journey.
- What if my delivery is late?
Your chosen delivery day is a preference and not a guarantee. Both our local and nationwide couriers very occasionally experience issues which mean orders can be delayed. Please order with enough notice to allow for this.
During busy periods, such as Christmas and Easter, or special holidays such as Mother’s or Father’s Day, deliveries can take an extra day or two. We are not responsible for orders which arrive after your preferred delivery day.
If you have any concerns, please email shop@cambridgecheese.com with your order number, name and postcode and we will resolve any issues.
- How will my order be packaged?
Local orders will be packed either in a branded paper bag or a cardboard box. As these are same-day deliveries, which are collected and then immediately delivered by hand (no conveyor belts, no warehouses) they do not need to be packed with ice or protective packaging.
All nationwide orders will be packed in a cardboard box, with insulation and protective packaging, and an ice pack. Do not worry if your ice pack has melted by the time your order arrives, it will have kept the parcel cool and the contents of your order completely safe to eat.
- Is all of your stock online?
By the end of November 2025, everything that you can buy in store will be available via our website. Currently over 85% of our range is available, including over 100 seasonal cheeses (out of season cheeses will not be visible) and over 600 shelf and fridge items. We are working hard every day to add our full range as quickly as we can.
- I have a problem with my order, what can I do?
In the unlikely event that there is an issue with your order, such as an out of date item, a missing or incorrect item, a broken item, or an item which has been cut the wrong size, please email us urgently at shop@cambridgecheese.com.
If we have made an error, we will offer a refund or send out a replacement item, depending on your preference. Photographic evidence is compulsory and no replacements or refunds will be sent without proof. Please note that all best before dates and all product weights are logged by us as each order is put together, so errors of this nature are extremely rare.
- Can I order a voucher?
Yes, we sell both e-vouchers (which can be redeemed on our website and in store) and printed cards (which can be used in store only. Here are the links for: Card vouchers and E-Vouchers .
Printed card voucher instructions are as follows:
When checking out, please select 'STORE PICKUP' and choose a delivery date on the calendar. This allows us to avoid the more expensive local/nationwide delivery fees and simply charge £1.25 for the voucher itself and the 2nd class postage fee, which are included in the voucher cost.
You will NOT need to pick up the voucher and the delivery date chosen WILL NOT apply.
The delivery address must be added to the 'Add a note to your order' box which appears at checkout, otherwise we will not know where to send the voucher. If this is not filled in and we cannot reach you by email or phone, vouchers will be sent to the billing address.
All vouchers are sent out via Royal Mail within 48 hours of receiving the order, assuming the delivery address has been filled in correctly, or the following working day if the voucher is ordered outside of normal shop hours (10am-5pm, Monday to Friday) or during busy periods. This means the voucher will NOT arrive on your selected day (these chosen days only apply to our tracked overnight parcels). Please allow 5 working days for delivery after dispatch, or 10 working days in December when the Royal Mail are extremely busy.
Christmas Orders
- Can I place a Christmas order?
Yes, you can! All orders must go through our website so that we can manage stock, manage collection and delivery slots, securely process payments, and automatically book in deliveries with our couriers.
All of our December delivery and collection slots are open and available to book now. At checkout, a calendar will pop up and ask you to choose your preferred delivery day. Please note that this delivery day is not guaranteed. While over 95% of orders arrive on time, there are extenuating circumstances which can affect our couriers and mean your order is delayed. Please order with enough notice to allow for this. We are not responsible for orders which arrive after your preferred delivery day.
- When will Christmas orders close?
Christmas orders will close when we are at capacity. Our entire team is made up of just three people (with some old team members returning just for Christmas week) but every single order is put together by just one person in our shop cellar. We estimate that orders will close around 14th December.
Location and Story
- Where are you located?
Our address is: The Cambridge Cheese Company, 4 All Saints Passage, Cambridge, CB2 3LS.
There is a ‘Find Us’ section at the bottom of our homepage, which links you to Google Maps and guides you right to our front door.
- What are your opening hours?
Opening hours can be found here: https://www.cambridgecheese.com/pages/about-us
- What is your story?
Our story can be found here: https://www.cambridgecheese.com/pages/about-us
- How can I get in touch?
If the answer you are looking for is not here in our FAQ’s, please email us at shop@cambridgecheese.com.
You can also call us on 01223 328672, however the shop is very busy and we only have a small team, so answering the phone can sometimes be tricky. Email is best!
- Are you independent or do you have multiple sites?
We are an independent business with just one shop. We do not have a warehouse or any additional storage facility. Every cheese that we sell is matured on site in our underground cellars and every single order is packed on site before the shop opens each morning.
- Do you offer charity donations?
As a very small business with high costs and tight margins, we are limited in what we can offer, however we do reserve a portion of our profits each month for charitable causes.
We reserve this money for small, local charities who are underfunded, and focus on charities who care for the disabled, mentally unwell and elderly in Cambridge. We also work with some local environmental and wildlife charities.
We cannot donate towards schools and do not offer free goods under any circumstances.
All about Cheese!
- Where does your cheese come from?
We source almost all of the British cheeses we sell directly from the dairies who produce them. Ordering over the phone every day and chatting to every cheesemaker is one of our greatest joys. Some producers are so small that they only work with wholesalers to manage their workload, so occasionally we source cheese this way.
We work very closely with a local importer who travels personally to Parisian markets such as Rungis with our shopping list, to hand select our exceptional range of artisan French cheese. We also have some incredible contacts in the Netherlands and in Bavaria who help us source rare, tiny production cheeses from those areas.
- Do you mature the cheeses you sell?
Yes, every single cheese we sell is carefully matured to perfection on site in the cellars which are located underneath our shop. Our centuries old building provides us with a constant temperature and ideal humidity for cheese maturation, just like a cave. We put lots of love and care into turning, brushing and ironing our cheeses until they are perfect for our cheese decks.
- Where can I find tasting notes?
Every one of our cheese pages online has the maker’s story or the cheese’s history, alongside tasting notes and a summary of dietary/allergen information. Most of our cheeses also have a sustainability section, where you can learn about environmental policies and commitments of the dairies, the renewable energy they are creating, and much more.
Cheese Care
- How long will my cheese last?
We always aim to send your cheese in perfect condition - not cheese that needs weeks to ripen or cheese which is already running away.
Small cuts of cheese will deteriorate faster than large cuts. This can include ripening more quickly and developing surface moulds (these are harmless and can easily be removed). Our minimum cut on all cheese is 200g, to ensure longevity and quality.
With most individual boxed or wrapped cheeses, you can expect a shelf life of two weeks, with the exception of very fresh cheese such as Perroche, Mozzarella or Burrata, all of which have best before dates within 4-7 days.
Most cut pieces of hard cheese will last for a minimum of 14 days.
Younger, fresher cheeses such as Cheshire, Lancashire or Yarg can be prone to grow some harmless surface mould slightly faster than this, though this does not affect the flavour of the cheese, nor its safety to eat.
Cheeses which have been matured for a very long time, like our Dutch Goudas, Parmigiano Reggiano and some of our Cheddars can last for well over a month (or even many months).
Most cut pieces of soft or blue cheese will last 10-14 days.
- How should I store my cheese?
The best way to keep your cheese fresh for longer is to keep it wrapped in the wax paper that we use in store and in all orders. If the wax paper becomes damaged, baking or parchment paper is perfect. Try to avoid cling film if you can.
For the most part, cheese is best stored in the bottom of your fridge. You can opt to keep it within a Tupperware to contain the smell and to prevent any cross contamination, though this isn’t necessary. Some of you may prefer to store your cheese in the pantry or larder, this is totally safe and will work for you if you eat your cheese within a slightly shorter timeframe.
- My cheese is mouldy, what do I do?
All cheese will grow mould eventually, some quickly and some after many months - cheese and mould are irremovable from one another. Surface moulds can very easily be scraped away or cut off, they are purely aesthetic and not dangerous. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to email us at shop@cambridgecheese.com with a photo.