A new cheese shop in Bristol is giving away 50 free cheeseboards to celebrate their grand opening.

The Cheese Connection will be opening its first cheese shop at Wapping Wharf this Friday (September 12).

To celebrate, founder Luke Maslen will be offering free cheeseboards to his first 50 visitors.

The new cheese shop, which will be open seven days a week at Cargo 2, is an evolution of The Cheese Connection brand which first launched in 2022 as a food truck and mobile cheesemonger.

Having spent the past few years bringing artisan cheese and cheesemakers’ stories to festivals, markets, pop-ups and breweries in and around Bristol, Luke will now put down solid roots at Wapping Wharf, to help develop relationships with the growing community of cheese lovers that have supported the business.

The Cheese Connection will be opening its first cheese shop at Wapping Wharf this Friday (September 12).To celebrate, founder Luke Maslen will be offering free cheeseboards to his first 50 visitors. | The Cheese Connection

placeholder image — The Cheese Connection will be opening its first cheese shop at Wapping Wharf this Friday (September 12).To celebrate, founder Luke Maslen will be offering free cheeseboards to his first 50 visitors. | The Cheese Connection

At its core, the new store will offer a range of South West’s top cheeses, including products from Westcombe, White Lake Cheese and Bath Soft Cheese Co., alongside other standout varieties from the UK and Ireland and a few gems from the wider continent,

The Cheese Connection will also offer drinks and pairing sourced from Bristol-based businesses, including Spiegel & Peach, Wiper & True, Easton Chilli, GingerBeard's Preserves, Step and Stone, and The Real Olive Company.

It will also offer cheese platters, drinks and pre-dinner aperitivos for dining on the harbourside, and ‘date packs’ to takeaway, as well as a calendar of tasting events with upcoming appearances from the likes of Montgomery's Cheese, The Trethowan Brothers and White Wood Dairy.

Luke Maslen, founder of The Cheese Connection, commented: “We’re lucky to have so many incredible cheesemakers here in the UK, supported by an enthusiastic and growing clan of artisan cheese fans, and it’s been my privilege to help connect these two communities as a mobile monger - over cheeseboards, cheesy street food and lots of storytelling.

“The new shop is the next step in our journey, and we can’t wait to start serving up the some of the very best handmade artisan cheese on the harbourside.

“Community has always been at the centre of what we do here, so we’re really excited to be joining one of Bristol’s most vibrant food hubs.”

The Cheese Connection, Unit 8, Cargo 2, Museum Street, Bristol BS1 6ZA.