Christmas

Holiday Shopping Tips by Dean Belder

Christmas is coming, and with it the busiest time for us and the Public Market.  If you are one of those who ventures down in the last few days before the holiday you’re likely to experience lineups that can take up to an hour at each shop, along with diminishing stocks.  There is also a possibility of snow for the holidays making venturing to the Island a challenging process.

There is a way to avoid the throngs of people, inclement weather while ensuring you get everything on your foodie wish list.

Get your shopping done early.

On the surface it may seem sensible to save your food shopping to the last minute to ensure that the meats and cheeses you have are as fresh as possible, but this isn’t always necessary, in fact some cheeses may even be better if you buy them early.

Cheeses and cured meats are meant to last. Many of our cheeses come to us on the younger side in case of delays during shipping. Cheeses like the Alpius (Mont d’Or) sitting in our case right now will be at just the right ripeness to be served on Christmas day, while the ones we have remaining on the 23rd and 24th will be much younger and not at their best.

Likewise hard, aged cheeses can be bought much earlier and if stored correctly can last for several weeks depending on their size. Bries, camembert and other soft cheeses are much like the Alpius, come in for these cheeses a week to ten days before Christmas and we can help pick one that will be perfectly ripe to serve for Christmas dinner.

Additionally because we only have so much room, if you wait too long you may miss out on some of the cheeses we’ve brought in special for this time of year.  So come down starting on the 16th and 17th and avoid our busiest days, and get the best selection possible