Retailer behind ‘secret garden’ café overlooking York Minster gains new owner

Love Cheese in Gillygate, which has customers throughout the UK, has been bought by its manager, Jordan Thomson, in a deal advised by a partner in law firm Harrowells’ corporate team, Matthew Rowley. The acquisition includes taking over the lease and acquiring the Love Cheese stock.

The new owner plans to hire more staff as the business prepares for Christmas and also increase the range of products.

A spokesman said: “The retailer, which stocks a wide range of local and continental cheeses and wines as well as a ‘secret garden’ café, known as the Speakcheesey overlooking York Minster which serves light meals, has four other staff and a six figure annual turnover.”

"A Covid pandemic-enforced career change led Jordan Thomson to join Love Cheese in 2020 and he was soon helping to manage the shop after being asked by then owners, Harry and Phoebe Baines, to rebrand the café into the Speakcheesey.”

Mr Thomson said: “Harry and Phoebe owned Love Cheese for around eight years and did a fantastic job in developing the businesses into a popular part of York’s retail, hospitality and tourism offer.

"We are very popular with local people and with tourists from all over the world who visit us to try our renowned triple cheese toastie. A visitor from Brazil came in for one last week.

"Matthew Rowley was very helpful and approachable. He guided me through the whole process with a combination of serious legal and business advice and lighthearted humour which I really appreciated as transactions of this kind can be stressful.”

As well as being a shop and café, Love Cheese sells around 100 tiered cheese wedding cakes a year and has 7,000 UK-wide subscribers who receive regular cheese and wine boxes delivered to their door. It also supports around 1,000 cheese and wine tasting events for businesses throughout the UK.

Mr Thomson aims to take on more staff for the festive period and plans to update parts of Love Cheese’s product offering in 2023

Mr Rowley said: “Love Cheese has built up an important reputation with a national customer case which crosses York’s retail, tourism and hospitality sectors.

"It has been a pleasure to support Jordan’s management buy out and I’m sure he will do a great job in developing the business.”

Harrowells Solicitors offers a wide range of legal services to businesses and individuals. The firm has three offices in York and others in Easingwold, Thirsk, Malton and Pocklington.