2026 Christmas Cheese Orders: Everything you need to know

 

Christmas is our busiest time of year, and we want to make sure your festive cheese reaches you in beautiful condition. Here's everything you need to know about ordering, delivery and collection.

🧀 How to Place Your Christmas Order

All Christmas pre-orders are taken exclusively through our online shop.

At checkout, you can choose:

  • Collection from our Haddington shop only.

  • Nationwide delivery with our overnight courier.

Delivery and collection dates open three months in advance, so we recommend ordering early to secure your preferred date.

📦 Limited Daily Slots

Every cheese is hand-cut and carefully packed by our small team. With courier collections taking place by 2pm, we can only prepare a limited number of orders each day.

Christmas delivery slots are usually fully booked by the end of November, so please don't leave ordering until the last minute!

🏬 Shopping In-Store & Christmas Collections

If you're local, there's no need to pre-order! You're very welcome to visit either our Haddington or North Berwick shop during our Christmas opening hours and choose your cheeses in person.

To help us serve everyone efficiently during the festive rush, we recommend browsing our online shop beforehand and bringing a shopping list.

Please be flexible with your choices. Artisan cheese availability can vary, and while we may not have everything on your list, we'll always be happy to recommend a delicious alternative.

Prefer to pre-order? Christmas collections are available from our Haddington shop only.

On Christmas Eve, 24 December, we'll be open until 2pm, so please collect your order before then.

🧀 Cheese Availability

Ordering your Christmas cheese months in advance doesn't mean we set it aside until December. Artisan cheeses, particularly soft varieties, have a short shelf life, so we arrange for fresh stock to arrive closer to Christmas.

While we place our orders with suppliers well in advance, artisan cheesemaking is small-scale and unpredictable. Occasionally, a cheese may not be available as planned, even if you've pre-ordered it.

We therefore cannot guarantee the availability of every individual cheese. If something is unavailable, we'll carefully select a delicious alternative.

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility. It's all part of working with small artisan producers and bringing you exceptional cheese at its best.

🚚 How Christmas Delivery Works

We prepare and dispatch your parcel the day before your selected delivery date using APC Overnight, our trusted courier partner.

While we always dispatch on schedule, occasional delays can occur due to adverse weather, road disruptions or Christmas network congestion. As our courier is an independent provider, delivery dates are preferred rather than guaranteed.

We strongly recommend selecting a delivery date at least two days before you need your cheese. Properly stored, your cheeses will keep beautifully until Christmas.

Please also remember:

  • Check whether your postcode is in a 2–3 day delivery area or has Saturday delivery restrictions in our delivery information.

  • Keep an eye on your courier tracking updates.

  • Ensure someone is available to receive your parcel wherever possible.

❄️ How We Protect Your Cheese

Every order is carefully packed in an insulated thermal pouch with ice packs to help keep your cheese cool during transit, including in the event of a courier delay.

Please refrigerate your cheeses as soon as they arrive.

🎁 Cheese Storage & Longevity

Our artisan cheeses are carefully selected to be enjoyed at their best over Christmas.

As a general guide:

  • Soft, semi-firm and blue cheeses: approximately 10–14 days refrigerated.

  • Firm and hard cheeses: approximately 3–4 weeks refrigerated.

  • Individually packed soft cheeses: may last longer, depending on the producer's best-before or use-by date.

Keep your cheese refrigerated in its original wrapping or suitable cheese paper. Avoid cling film where possible.

Some natural surface moulds are perfectly normal on artisan cheeses. If you notice unexpected mould growth or are unsure about a cheese's condition, please contact us for advice.

✏️ Need to Change Your Order?

If you'd like to amend your order, delivery address or collection date, please contact us as early as possible at help@thecheeselady.co.uk.

We'll do our best to accommodate changes, but these are subject to availability, particularly during December.

☎️ Delivery Questions or Delays?

For delivery updates, you can contact APC directly at depot175@apc-overnight.com.

For any other assistance, our team is happy to help at help@thecheeselady.co.uk.

💛 Thank You!

Christmas is an exceptionally busy time for our small team and our couriers. Thank you for ordering early and helping us make sure everyone can enjoy wonderful artisan cheese over the festive season.

The Cheese Lady Team x

 

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