St Andrews cheese shop adds alcohol to its fare

A specialist cheese shop in St Andrews has been granted an off-sales licence.

Mellis Cheese, of 149 South Street, applied to Fife Licening Board sell paired wines and beers with their cheeses.

The business launched in  1993 in Edinburgh where owner Iain Mellis said he found a gap in the market for farmhouse cheese. It has three licensed shops in Edinburgh.

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Alistair Macdonald, solicitor  told the  board on Monday: “Customers find it very beneficial to be able to offer paired wines and beers.

“It’s not the same selection of wine or beer you would find in a supermarket. These have been specially chosen to compliment the cheeses sold.

“Staff are trained to match them and they also have small tasting sessions.”

Board member were also told that the licence would allow for some deliveries to take place.

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Mr Macdonald told the board: “It would be a very infrequent service. It is not envisioned immediately for this store, but it is something they may potentially do in the future.

“Alcohol would only be delivered with cheese, they would never deliver just the alcohol alone. It’s not a frequently used service within the other shops.”

Mr Macdonald also told the board that the staff were all trained in the Challenge 25 policy and they would use either staff members to deliver or hire a delivery service where the staff are likewise trained.