The House of Cheese

Needing to get a travel present for my wife who loves cheese, I chanced by this place an hour before heading to the airport. I grabbed 8 different types of cheese and out the door I went.
Upon presenting them to my wife, the first thing she said was, «You bought me expired cheese??».
…upon closer inspection, EVERY ONE OF THEM WERE EXPIRED! The range of expiration was 2 to 30 days past expiration. Not a single wheel of cheese I bought was before the expiration date. Are you kidding me?
It wouldn’t have been so bad if they were hard cheeses, with low moisture content, but these were all soft cheeses like brie, which would spoil a lot faster. For pete’s sake, optimize your inventory and supply the amount of cheese that you can sell reasonably on time. This place is stuffed full of a variety of expired cheeses that the owner has no hope in hell of selling on time.

I was totally disappointed in this store the last time i shopped there late June 2015. I have gone there before when I wanted advice on first class Canadian cheeses esp québécois ones as the store has quite nice variety. I spent a fair amount $ there too as some cheeses are in the 60 – 70 $ per kilo. However after having chosen one, the person at the cash suggested I also buy champfleury (a cheese I bought once before) that was on special. I grabbed it and paid for it (along with others) but didn’t realize that it was more than two weeks past expiry date until I got home. When I opened it it was so awful and strong smelling that I threw it in the freezer as I didn’t want it to smell up my garbage or food recycle even. I just found it in my freezer and decided to write this review. (and I do like such cheeses normally but not those that are off)

Cheese is my favourite food group, followed closely behind by bacon and red wine. Yes, I make my own food groups, what are yours?
But back to cheese. I love cheese. I like it in my sandwiches, crumbled on my salads, baked in my pasta dishes. Heck! I like to cut myself a piece and «nom» it while I’m waiting for my dinner to cook. My favourite location for cheese shopping is the House of Cheese. Conveniently located in the Byward Market, it is easy to pop in during an afternoon of running errands.
As you would expect of a House of Cheese, this store features all kinds of cheeses in various textures, flavours and varieties. They have cheeses from all over the world and a variety of local cheeses! An avid locovore, I am a huge fan of planning and shopping for my meal in the market and often return home with a fabulous cheese from The House of Cheese.
Throughout the year, they also have various gift baskets available that would make great Christmas gifts, year end gifts for teachers or even house warming presents.
The staff is very knowledgable and ready with recommendations as the various kinds of cheeses can be somewhat overwhelming. If you are looking to pair your cheese with something a little different, they also carry various spreads, crackers and jellies. It is a great place to pop in if you are hosting a party and looking for something a little more than the basic «cheese and cracker» plate.

Nice varied selection but would have liked to have seen some more Prince Edward County selection

So, yes, they definitely do sell some expired goods here. But the price generally seems to be right, and they have a good selection of cheeses, and are pretty friendly about letting you sample lots of them.

This is a great place to go before a dinner party. I love to have wine and cheese with my friends, so I often stop here to get something on my way.
I love blue cheese and they have a great selection here, including the Bénédictin, which has won several awards!
There is a large selection of Canadian cheeses here. I usually try to choose something Canadian, since I think that so much of our local food gets missed!
The workers in the store are really knowledgeable about the cheeses and can help you choose just the right one to go with your wine or dinner.

Let’s just say that the name of the shop is more than fitting! They carry so many different kinds of cheeses, some that you’ve never heard of or even knew existed. Hard, soft, creamy, sharp, bold. whatever. The prices can get a bit rough for extra special cheeses, but the selection is incredible. They also sell other specialty foods like gourmet crackers, pates, jams, and maple syrup products.
My mom, brother, and I came across this little shop while walking around the ByWard Market. We had just bought some fresh bread and were looking for some really good cheese to go with it. We walked into The House of Cheese wanting to buy some brie, but we soon realized that just asking for «brie» was a little too general in this place. I believe we ended up buying an extra creamy kind and wow, was it amazing — tasted like butter! I’ll definitely be back here soon.

A cheese lovers paradise– House of Cheese has pretty much anything your looking for– though sometimes for a price!
The wafting smell of stinky cheese will draw you in from the market stalls to a small space packed with a great variety of cheeses from Canadian cheddars, Okas, wonderful Quebec cheeses, British specialties and of course the incomparable French varieties.
The staff are crusty but knowledgeable and the if you ask, they will be able to recommend something suited to your palette and wine/​meal pairing.
My husband and I discovered a few great cheeses while on holiday in France which they stock. Mont D’or is a melty cheese that comes in a small wooden pot which you heat in the oven and dip your bread into. It is very much to die for but it’s only available around xmas time and it’s 3x the price here than it is in France! The other favourite of ours is from the Beaufort region. It’s a hard cheese with a creamy/​nutty taste– really nice as part of a cheese platter selection.