A few weeks back Mr P and I visited Borough Market. The thing is, it was closed (they are only opened a few days a week). It was a bit like a ghost town. but there was one thing that we found open … yes, my darling Sherlocks, with your deductive powers of reasoning (being that you read the title of this post), you may surmise that it was indeed Neal’s Yard Dairy. Every UK foodie has heard of Neal’s Yard Dairy. It’s an absolute institutution. If you are a cheese lover, well then I guess it must be akin to Paradise. Don’t get me wrong, I adore cheese, but I am not a cheese fanatic or anything. A little browse around here though, and you realise that you could easily become one.
Here is a little peek-a-boo of what you will find inside:
“Hey, who cut the cheese?”, there sure is quite a whiff in here LOL! Sorry guys, you know me. You know I can’t resist.
Assorted goat’s cheeses
Parmigiano -Reggiano cheese: Each unit weighs 80 pounds and costs a little over $2,000! No wonder they put it on a pedestal.
Look, it’s the “wall of cheddar.” Someone give me some crackers!
Look at how they individually date their beautiful cheeses. It shows a lot of love for their craft and attention to detail.
Did I mention there are nice cheese people in there who want to give you samples?
Oh… what is this I spy with my beady little eyes??? It looks like something sweet. It looks like something flaky and buttery. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw: “Hello lover.”
When I started my blog about a year ago, the Housewife’s crack of choice was the Krispy Kreme donut, original glazed, hot and fresh off the conveyer. Then later, it became the Laduree macaron. Now, there is a new crack in town. May I present to you the Eccles cake at Neal Yard’s Dairy. Behold it’s glory:
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Oh my god, are you feeling this or what?!?
This is just the yummiest thing ever. First of all, the top is encrusted in sugar. Its texture is flaky, like a croissant, but heavier. When you bite into it, pieces of buttery pastry fly down to your lap like little fairy wings (when you are finished, you will grasp at these shards so that not a crumb goes uneaten). Inside is the most delicious mince meat concoction of raisins or currants and I don’t know what. It’s flavour is strong, and although it is a sweet, there is something slightly savoury about it. I guess this is why eccles cakes go so well with cheese. I make Mr P go in and buy me another while I hide around the corner 
looking ever so dainty with pastry in my hair.
The Neal’s Yard eccles cake: get it while you can!!!!!!!!
As you can probably guess, I adore cheese and am therefore quite a huge fan of NYD!
Eccles cakes – I remember making those in cookery lessons at school – that ages me a bit doesn’t it given that they apparently make little that’s more complicated than a sandwich these days, if anything at all!
Darliiink HH! Fabulous! But you really must make that return trip to Borough Market – quite one of London’s best! Lots of samples of yummy produce. Oooh! Brings back soooo many scrumptious memories…! And yes, Neal’s Yard is quite the best (love Montgomery cheddar!)
Happy week!
XOXO LOLA:)
PS Waiting for my “brush” with Michelle Obama this weekend! Iphones all prepped ready! Thanks for yr words of encouragement over at my place!
sounds divine to me, hh! i’d be in heaven surrounded by all that cheese….and eccles cake? looks delicious!
My goodness T,just look at all those cheese! And I am so drooling over that pastry thing! You’re one lucky woman, aren’t you! Hope you’re enjoying your day, daaaahling.
Cheers, kristy
Oooh we walked past here when we went to Borough markets! I was most impressed by the shower that they had to keep the moisture in the cheese! Do they still have that HH?
Look at those cheeses! Fab tour of the store daaahling. I must say I’ve never ever had an eccles cake before but it sure does sound very appealing!
I am totally feeling that eccles cake, HH!! And the wall of cheddar ain’t too shabby either. Thanks for sharing, putting Neal’s on my London list
Mince meat isn’t something you see a lot of in NYC. But the sugar on top of the pastry has me sold!
You’d love my native Wisconsin! Go Packers!!!
OMG, that cheese shop is heaven for. Seriously, I’m in love.
I’ve been craving cheese all week. This isn’t helping.
I dont even like raisins but I LOOOOOVE those eccles cakes! Also love the neals yard cheeses!
Wow wee! I’m loving that cute little cheese shop and the Eccles cake. I think I would seriously have to forget calories and snack on every piece of cheese possible. Then I would have to scheme and plot which cheeses to buy and take home. Looks like a cheese lover’s paradise.
Thanks for sharing!
Hello Eccles Cake, such a scrumptious looking thing. I too am putting Neals Yard on my list of ‘next time I’m in London’
Whoa that is a crap load of cheese! I bet it was tasty
Those look dangerous!
The cake sounds very delectable….taste and texture
A real place to meditate on cheese! I am feeling crazy seeing stacks of cheese all round!
Eccles cake….. can’t wait to try!
Whoa… GOSH! I don’t think I have ever seen so many cheeses in my life…
Eccles cake..look at those flakey layers!! They make me melt…
I think I could live in there! I love all cheeses. The little cake looks delish!
have a lovely day
xoxo
I have not heard of Neal’s Yard Dairy but I am thrilled that I know about it now! I can’t wait to visit and try out what appears to be the most amazing dessert pastry ever invented. Anything encrusted in sugar is already a winner in my book.
I am catching up on your older posts and I am kind of reeling from the deliciousness that are Claridge’s scones.
Oh my!Thats a world of cheese!….have never tried eccles thingie…but it does look delicious….but mince meat and sweet, i have to think about it….BTW, Krispy creme is still our fave!!!love it and bring tray’s @ home…yum…havent had it for while, and weekend we were just talking about it. There is none nearby!
WOW! This place looks like “heaven”….parm/reg being a big fave of mine!xx
OK, that little cake looks yummy, but in competition with all of the amazing cheeses, I’d go for the cheese! What an incredible place!
Hey, you’re making me hungry! Cheeeeese…..
I feel like grabbing one of those cheese wheels right now and taking it home. hehehe… I seriously have to visit London. I need to save up first.
Can I just move in to this shop? I spend my days sampling one cheese after another. And, that pastry looks amazing! I need a taste of that now.
What great discoveries you make…always interesting ;o)
Hubby is entrenched in one of the largest cheese companies of Canada…hence his interest in your post will be huge. I’m bookmarking it for later.
Ciao for now and have a fabulous week,
Claudia
Neals’s Yard must be a true treat, I hope to visit some day. A pastry with crumbles like fairy wings? Count me in. Looks amazing. xo
waaahhhh…the pastry looks so flaky! I tried eccles cake once and hated it, looks nothing like this though!
Are flying monkeys as giggly as minions?
I have never heard of this place before, but now I want to go! Look at those chesses … drifts off into ecstacy. I am glad that you showed that an Eccles cake can be lovely instead of stodgy – now I want to try one like this.
Heaven!!
I’m not a huge cheese fan but this looks so amazing I must go and see for myself. Great post as always
I seriously wish I lived there… just for that and the markets!!!
I love cheese! I think cheese can make any dish better! (just like chocolate
)
What a giant wheel of Parmesan! That would last me awhile….I am! I’m feeling the love from the Eccles cake! How scrumptious they look. I would of went back and bought another one or two…xoxo
*drool* That looks sooooooo good!
Girlfriend this cheese place rocks! Cheese is crack for me. I would have thought I died and went to heaven
Have a great weekend!
I was in London this spring went in to heals yard for cheese and just like you I spied the Eccles cakes. They are every bit as good as they look and I do not have sweet tooth. I will be back in the fall from Vancouver an will be sure to stop by again
I have MISSED your hilarious posts HH … it was my punishment for staying away from blogging for so long. Don’t suppose you could send me one of those Eccles cakes perchance?! I too want to be dusted with magical pastry shards! I’ll send you some Krispy Kreme in return
Omg!! I was at Borough Market last month and there were a few cheese stalls…amazing. I’ve never seen such huge blocks of cheese in my entire life till last mth! I love that place!! Btw, there was this 1 pound caramel pot which I had there. Yummy!
Hello HH, how are you? Neals yard dairy is DANGEROUS! Its is amazing. All that dairy, and loctose. YUMM! I love it there. Have not been down there for quite some time. Nice to jog the memory a little….. have a good weekend XX
Representatives from Neal’s yard came to the Oxford SYmposium to talk cheese and share some of their best. You will be pleased to know, we are lucky enough to get some of his lovely products here in the US so we know Neal’s Yard here too!! Great story and pictures… made me long for CHEESE!!!
OMG!!!! I’m in HEAVEN!!!!
So hilarious that you would highlight the pastry in a cheese shop! And, I see you have posted how to make it. YES! I wanted this recipe since I missed it at St. John’s while in London – and heard it was deadly. didn’t know Neal’s sold them. I was too distracted by the Cheeeeeese!!!! Did you try the stilton I am crazy over?
XO
Valerie
Oh MAN that cheese looks amazing! Cheese is my one true vice and in all my time living in London I never dared go in this shop
Yum yum yum!
Heaven indeed! I love this place!! Whenever I visit London, I also go there!
Never had the pleasure of experiencing one of those cakes. But anything with an exterior that flaky looking has got to be pretty dang incredible.