Mike's Fancy Cheese is an independent cheese shop at 41 Little Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2JD. It is run by Mike Thomson, who learned the craft at the School of Artisan Food and worked with David and Jo Clarke at Sparkenhoe Farm. The shop focuses on small-scale Irish farmhouse cheeses, and you can buy them in person or online, with delivery across the UK and Ireland. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on Sundays.
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The shop's own cheese is Young Buck, a raw milk blue cheese made in Newtownards in the Stilton tradition. The milk comes from a herd of 150 Holstein Friesian cows, and the cheese is aged for a minimum of 12 weeks. It has a crumbly, open texture, blue veins and a natural rind. Tasters describe notes of salt, black pepper, grass and pepper, with a lingering aftertaste. Young Buck has won awards at the World Cheese Awards and is part of the Irish Raw Milk Cheese Presidia. The recipe is based on a book called Practical Cheesemaking (1917). A 250g piece costs £7.95, and the Sourdough & Young Buck lunch costs £10.00.
The rest of the shop is a wide range of Irish cheeses. Among them are Coolea (18 months) from £8.00, Cooleeney Brie from £7.70, Durrus from £7.70, Smoked Drumlin from £9.90 and St. Tola Crottin at £5.80. There are also condiments such as Sheridans Crackers at £3.50 and Shorthorn Chutney at £5.50, plus honey, charcuterie like Ispini Salami at £6.85 and The Curly Pigs 'Nduja at £6.50. For a quick lunch, the Benchmark Baguette costs £3.50. The MFC Toastie Box costs £25.00, or £20.00 in the online offer, and is available Wednesday to Saturday. Subscriptions are also available, including a Quarterly Cheese Box at £30.00 per delivery. For larger groups, Cheese Stack No. 4 serves 70 to 100 people and costs £240.00.
Delivery within Northern Ireland is free on orders over £40. Free pickup is available in Belfast from the shop, and pickup orders are usually ready in two to four days. Orders are dispatched after the second Tuesday of each month, and later orders are delivered the following month. You can reach the team at orders@mfcheese.com or on +447794570420. The shop has also hosted a Beer & Cheese Night with Treble Brewing at The Sunflower Bar, 65 Union St, Belfast BT1 2JG, with five cheeses paired with five beers. It is set for Thursday 19 November at 18:00 and costs £25.00, but it is currently sold out. The shop has more than 205 five-star Google reviews, and it has been listed by The Times as one of the UK's best cheese shops, and it won Cheesemonger of the Year at the World Cheese Awards.
Published Date
29 October 2026
