16th December 2025
cheese culture
DE version
When Pleasure Becomes Purpose: The Cheese Lady and the Scottish Culture.
This Cheese Story is based on an in-depth interview with Svetlana Kukharchuk, widely known as “The Cheese Lady.” As a leading voice in Scotland’s contemporary cheese culture, she speaks about craftsmanship, origin, and the deeper meaning of mindful enjoyment.
Svetlana Kukharchuk, better known as The Cheese Lady, right in the middle of the christmas hustle in her shop in North Berwick.
It is, admittedly, one of the least convenient moments to seek out a cheesemonger for an interview: December, with its unrelenting pace, its queues, its festive rush. All the more so when that cheesemonger is Svetlana Kukharchuk, known to many simply as The Cheese Lady. Based in East Lothian, she was recently named Scotland Retailer of the Year at the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2025 – an honour recognising her commitment to farmhouse and artisan cheeses, her sustainable approach to business, and her lasting impact on the local community. With the pre-Christmas season in full swing, the odds of securing a conversation during my trip to Scotland initially seemed slim.
And yet, on the afternoon of St Nicholas Day, a small window opened, leading us to arrange a meeting in her shop by the sea in North Berwick. From Edinburgh I take the ScotsRail eastwards, the train weaving through the quiet winter landscape. We had originally planned to meet in her newer shop in Haddington, but a last-minute change of plan unexpectedly worked in my favour: upon arrival, I am left with an hour to take in the atmosphere of this coastal region – the briny sea air, the stretched-out Lowlands, the cold, penetrating winter light. It becomes immediately clear how deeply all of this must shape the character and diversity of Scotland’s cheeses.
It is precisely about these connections – about taste, origin, transformation, and the evolving identity of the British and Scottish cheese world – that we speak in our fortunately realised meeting on this early-December afternoon.
Scottish Cheese Culture Between Craft and Conviction
“I feel everything my customers feel: the pace of daily life, the pressures, the constant pull in every direction.”
To begin with, my warmest congratulations on your recent award.
Svetlana: Thank you so much. It truly means the world to us. This is our fifth award, and in many ways it feels like the culmination of eight years of work. It is incredibly exciting to see how far we have come. My personal cheese journey started twenty years ago, but The Cheese Lady has been shaping its identity for the past eight. Over time, I’ve come to understand that there is a genuine longing in the UK for real connection — within neighbourhoods, within everyday life, between people who crave something honest and meaningful. That sense of connection is one of my strongest whys.
I also noticed early on that mental health is a major issue in this country. These are stressful times: the economy feels uncertain, the pace of life keeps accelerating, and social media adds yet another layer of pressure. That is why it is so important to create small moments in which we can breathe, look after ourselves, and decompress. For me, the simplest and most restorative of those moments is a glass of good wine and pieces of good cheese — a quiet pause in the middle of everything.
Are you teaching people to decompress — or is the cheese itself the teacher?
Svetlana: I think it’s both. We have a responsibility to carry the message of the cheese, to let it speak in its own way. For me, cheese is a vehicle — a way of guiding people back into the present moment, into a space where they can simply be.
I often use myself as an example. I feel everything my customers feel: the pace of daily life, the pressures, the constant pull in every direction. Taking care of yourself can mean many things — going for a walk, having a quiet bath, heading to the sauna. All of these are wonderful ways to slow down. But great cheese paired with a beautiful glass of wine has a different kind of power. It can transport you, even if only for a minute, to a place where you can forget your worries and enjoy something pure, honest and deeply delicious. It’s a small moment of stillness — and sometimes that moment is exactly what we need.
Has your vision crystallised further over the past year?
Svetlana: Yes, absolutely. My vision has grown clearer with every year, and it continues to sharpen every day — as does the message behind it. At first, I focused on sharing the joy of cheese: the difference between farmhouse or artisan cheeses and industrial supermarket products, and how choosing real cheese is good for both body and soul. But I soon realised it goes far beyond pleasure.
Enjoyment, in its deeper sense, happens when cheese creates a meaningful moment — with yourself or with the people you love. When a simple piece of cheese becomes a shared experience, a moment of connection, and a story you carry with you, including the people who made it. Savouring cheese, to me, is ultimately about living more fully and more intentionally.
“Scottish cheese genuinely excites me because there is so much untapped potential here.”
Cheesemonger, entrepreneur, teacher — what is your main role today?
Svetlana: My view of that has evolved quite a lot. I definitely began this business purely as a cheesemonger. But at the same time, I was providing for my family — and my why grew deeper the moment I held daughter in my arms, who is now eight years old. It is incredibly important to me to be a role model for her.
As the business grew, I started learning more about entrepreneurship with intention. These past five years have been a real entrepreneurial journey. In the beginning, I didn’t feel comfortable calling myself an entrepreneur — but now, holding this award in my hands, I finally feel confident enough to say: I am more than a cheesemonger. I am a loving mum, an entrepreneur, and a connoisseur. And I am still learning. I consider myself a very good student of cheese — there is always something new to discover, and I hope that never stops.
Given everything you’ve learned on your journey so far — as a cheesemonger, entrepreneur and student of cheese — what currently excites you most about Scottish cheese culture?
Svetlana: Scottish cheese genuinely excites me because there is so much untapped potential here. When you compare Scotland to England, we’re still slightly behind in terms of diversity and maturity of styles — but that gap is exactly what makes this moment so interesting. And we already have some fantastic makers. I especially admire the work of Selina and her family at Errington Cheese. Visiting them was an absolute joy — it’s a day I still hold in my heart. They ushered in a new era by producing goat’s milk cheese inspired by French tradition, and they did it with such courage and authenticity. Looking at examples like that, the potential is enormous — and that is what inspires me most.
Terroir and the Limits of Regional Cheese Culture
And what do your customers tell you about their needs when it comes to regional or specifically Scottish cheese?
Svetlana: The interest is definitely growing, although still slowly. We have many tourists coming through the shop who ask specifically for cheese from this region — and unfortunately, we often can’t offer any. The reason is simply the terroir. Here in East Lothian, most of the land is arable; you don’t see many animals grazing, and that goes back to agricultural history and how the land has been used for generations. In other parts of Scotland, of course, the picture is very different — more grazing, more dairy tradition, and therefore more cheese being made. But here along the coast, the landscape hasn’t historically supported that in the same way.
As you describe these regional differences in Scotland — the landscapes, the histories, the limits and possibilities of terroir — it becomes clear how strongly place shapes cheese. And place, of course, shapes people as well. Looking at your own journey from Siberia to Lock Haven, New York, St. Andrews and now Haddington: after so many stations, do you feel at home here in Scotland? Or what rituals give you that sense of home?
Svetlana: I definitely feel at home in Scotland — because my family is here. That is the foundation of everything. And you won’t be surprised to hear that one of our most cherished rituals is a simple evening with a small cheese board and a glass of wine. It’s our way of celebrating those joyful little moments in life. I usually work with four or five different cheeses, building a board around whatever is left in the fridge and then adding something new. Three cheeses never feel quite enough to me. In winter we tend to open red wines, in summer more whites and rosés. Usually there are two hard cheeses, two soft cheeses, and a blue. Right now, I’m really enjoying a full-bodied Primitivo paired with my current selection — especially alongside a Comté aged 36 months or more. I call it the "Chanel of the Cheese".
Just a few days ago you received a major award, you run two successful cheese shops, your online business is growing, and you’ve even written a book. Is there still something you haven’t yet reached — a part of your vision that still lies ahead of you?
Svetlana: Oh yes, my vision is much bigger. We would love to open another shop, ideally in a larger city or a strong A-town. I can imagine a larger flagship store, a place that truly reflects everything we stand for. One of our dreams has always been to send cheese to customers all across Great Britain.
And there is another part of my vision that is just as important to me. I still see so many people approach cheese with a kind of guilt in their eyes — as if they shouldn’t be eating it. They save it for one occasion a year, and then they overindulge. I want to change that mindset. Farmhouse and artisan cheeses, enjoyed regularly in small portions — the way the French do — are not only nourishing for the soul, but genuinely good for the body as well. As with everything in life, when cheese is enjoyed in moderation and in balance, it becomes a source of pleasure that enriches daily life. It makes life easier, fuller, more joyful — and certainly more flavourful.
This encounter is part of my ongoing Cheese Stories exploring international cheese cultures.