A good fromagerie or Italian salumeria is one of the best reasons to deviate from the tourist trail. Shopping for cheese and cured meat in the city where they are made produces better results than any deli at home, and it costs less than a sit-down meal.

In a Fromagerie

Tell them where you are from and when you are eating the cheese. Both of these matter. A cheese that needs three more days of ripening is not the same as one that is ready today, and a French cheesemonger will not sell you something at peak without knowing your timeline.

Ask for small pieces of several cheeses rather than one large piece of one. Most good fromageries expect this. The flavour range of a cheese plate bought from someone who knows their stock is better than anything you could assemble by reading labels.

Vacuum-Packing for Travel

Ask whether they can vacuum-pack your purchases. Most specialist shops can and will do it without fuss. This extends the lifespan of the cheese in your bag, contains any smell, and makes packing much easier. It is standard practice in good fromageries and worth asking even if it is not on offer.

UK Import Rules

From EU countries, there are no restrictions on bringing cheese into the UK. Hard cheeses, soft cheeses, raw milk cheeses from France or Spain or Italy: all fine. The restriction applies to raw milk soft cheeses from non-EU countries. For European city breaks, this is not an issue.

Italian Salumeria

A good salumeria operates differently from a cheese shop. The staff will slice to order and often let you taste before you buy. Ask for a selection of local-specific products rather than the broadly distributed brands you can find at home. In Milan this means salami di Milano from a local producer rather than the supermarket version. In Rome it means guanciale and rigatino, not generic coppa.

When Specialist Shops Are Closed

In many European cities, specialist food shops close on Sunday and often on Monday. If you are there mid-week, prioritise the dedicated shops. If you hit a Sunday, the covered market halls (where they exist) and the larger supermarkets are your fallback. French supermarkets have a cheese section that is genuinely good by UK standards. Italian supermarkets for charcuterie are acceptable. Neither is the first choice, but neither is a wasted trip.