"Give me one second, I'll pose for your picture Like cheese,…read morecheese, cheese, cheese" (Snoop Dogg) We registered for and attended a "Meet the Maker" seminar at the Simsbury Library with Kate Truini-Redin of New Curds on the Block. (What a super cool name, don't you agree?) Kate is a "cheese monger", an awesome name for a cheese expert, and she shares her expertise of the New England cheese industry through educational appearances and her own cheese and seafood store in Oakville. So, if you want an expertly made cheese board and shrimp cocktails for your next party, look no further than a trip to Oakville. Kate was a delight. A very gifted, funny, and knowledgeable speaker who shared a ton of information on tasting, pairing, buying, and entertaining with cheese. We sampled five types of cheese and enjoyed Kate's information all five. #1 was a Milky White from Rowland Farms in Oxford, CT. It was in the "Fresh Cheese" family and was soft, spreadable, and without a rind. It was very mild and seemed like it would go with just about any food or drink. Kate warned us that these "Fresh Cheeses" have a very short shelf life, so use them up quickly. #2 was a Crema Alpina from Highlawn Farms in Lee, MA, and was an example of the "Washed Rind" cheese family. That means its orange rind is "washed" to discourage mold growth. It had a strong scent and taste, leading to some funny comments from the crowd - "Smells like a barnyard, stinky foot, and a gym bag" It had a savory earthy taste, and Kate recommended serving with cured meats. #3 was a very popular semi-firm Cornerstone from Cato Corner Farm in Colchester, CT. Kate told us that the cheese's gold color is a direct result of the kerotene ingested by the grazing cows in Cato's grass pastures. #4 was a Gray cheese. Those are a hard, firm, and crumbly cheese made in the style of old-time British cheddars. Some of the tasting noted from the audience included "nutty and butterscotch" #5 was the most polarizing sample of the night, because Blue Cheese is not universally loved. We sampled Middlebury Blue from the Blue Ledge Farm in Salisbury, Vermont. We learned that... yes, the blue veins in the cheese and on the rind are indeed evidence of mold. The comments from the crowd were hysterical - "it smells like the inside of a taxicab", "it smells like a lost pair of headphones", and it tastes like "chewing on a cigarette". Personally, I like blue cheese and though the Middlebury Blue ranked fairly high on the "strong meter", I enjoyed my sample and the one my wife passed to me. We can't wait to visit her store and order a cheese platter for Thanksgiving 2025.

Kate, it's a tremendous pleasure to have met you! What a phenomenal shop!! Thanks for introducing…read moreme to your Black Ledge Blue, the 3 Milk Gouda and the scrumptious Cachal...o-something, I cant recall the name but your suggestion was on point for my tastes!! I wish you endless success and hope this review reaches the other wine and cheese loving masses. New Curds has my highest recommendation! 10/10 will shop here again!!!

3 stars for the great cheese. 2ish years ago it would've been a 5. Lady was pushy and rude but…read morejoke's on her, I like cheese. While the pieces I bought were delicious, service left a lot to be desired, or it was an off day? Whatever the reason, ill just take the extra 20 minute ride to arethusa in Litchfield/bantam or order from saxelby online. It's a shame, because inside looked nice and the other food looked good.

Omg this place is amazing! What a cute and special store. If…read moreyou are in the area go and get one of their grilled cheese specials. We got the prosciutto with fig jam WOW! So delicious! They had a lot of different things to choose from cookies to ice cream & a lot more. I had to buy the Banana pudding shortbread ice cream sandwich yummy ! It was hot out & I was worried about it melting so they gave me a free ice pack to get it home! Wow now that's customer service!! Very nice & friendly staff!!

Love, love, love the ice cream! Now, I can buy it in a small, local store. The only thing stopping…read moreme are the calories! I'm posting a vintage milk box from Arethusa. If anyone wants to buy it let me know, I amon Facebook.

I probably come here too much since it's so close to me! Just know that folks travel from all over…read moreCT to try the amazing ice cream and cheeses all made from milk from local cows. It couldn't be any creamier or delicious! I grabbed some cheese to have with wine later in the day and already looking forward to it.

"'Til I have the possession of everything she touches 'Til I…read morestep on the brake to get out of her clutches 'Til I speak Double Dutch to a real double duchess" (Elvis Costello) We were chatting about Litchfield County with the attendant at the White Memorial Conservation Center and she mentioned the many "World Class" bakeries in the area. So, when we visited the Dutch Epicure Shop, we had some high expectations. Epicure Shop is a righteous title, because they sell quite a bit of high-end epicure foods -groceries, soups, a huge deli, and a bakery with breads and pastries. They've developed a big reputation for their European pastries, breads, cookies and cakes. Yup, they make everything on the premises. As you walk around their store, you'll see German meats and sausages, Dutch and European cheeses, teas, jams, chocolates from all across Europe, and a selection of Dutch food and Dutch groceries. I was perplexed by the large selection of Indonesian foods here, but when I fired up the old Google Machine for an explanation, I learned that the Dutch ruled Indonesia from 1815 to 1920! Anyway, back to the food. We zeroed in on the bakery choices and picked up three items for $15. Our Blueberry Lemon Scone was pretty large and was topped with a delicate layer of vanilla icing. It tasted more of blueberry than lemon but was super fresh and delicious. The Almond Triangles were sold as a pair for $6. They were fantastic. Hidden between the sliced almond topping and a graham cracker-like crust was a sweet fruit layer that reminded me of apricot jam. These are addictive. The Raspberry Almond Fruit Tart was another layered treat with an almond glazed topping and a thin raspberry jam layer inside the tart. Our bakery treats were excellent and pretty reasonably priced for their home-baked quality.

The best cheese cake I've ever had. Hard to describe the flavor and texture without mentioning…read moreheaven. After cooking a big Christmas meal, having this dessert made my life so easy. Their Christmas cookies are excellent with a wide variety of flavors. Thank you!

Excellent, both the cow and goat milk are our fav. Glass containers, which is definitely better…read morethan the plastic in some places. Call ahead to see if they have stock on the goat milk. There is also cheese and stuff, but the raw milk is our need, good for the gut. Nice folks.

From the owner: NYS certified Grade A raw goat milk. Fresh artisanal goat…read morecheese. Local cheese.

This is a self service farm for eggs, cheese, milk meat, goat soap etc…read more So very convenient and so very tasty. Love this so much. I purchased pear and cardamom goat cheese and lemon, thyme and lavender goat cheese. Everyone enjoyed it. The yogurt was delicious as well. You can walk around and see the animals. They have a cow milking station that you can go into and watch. Fun for kids.

Love the goat cheese selection! I found out about the farm because of a farmers market- don't miss…read moreout!

There is always a unique menu to order from here. I love the fresh options. The cashier was kind…read moreand friendly. The other workers were also kind and made a point to say hello. The sandwich was very good and there were great things to choose from to have on the side (chips, chocolate, olives and of course cheese!). The restaurant is small for seating, but it's clean and comfortable!

wonderful owner great service and great food. met so many very nice people.. a big change from…read moreHudson! definitely go get a grilled cheese with all the toppings.

This is my once a month indulgence when in the area. Just like the name suggests, they have cheese,…read morea whole lot of cheese. But they also have delicious meats, homemade salads, and amazing sandwiches. The service is always attentive and deliberate. They are generous with the samples, so I suggest trying everything before you buy it. Prices are very reasonable, and if you are a member of their rewards program, you can get free stuff. I have yet to try their coffees, but I've heard they are also very good

How have I slept on this place all of these years? I wanted to hate it, but I loved it as soon as…read moreI walked in the door. The person who stocks those shelves is very smart - so much I wanted to bring home with me, including matzoh ball soup!!! We ordered two sandwiches - jambon et beurre with cornichons and a chicken parm. We were blown away by both. Flavorful, high quality ingredients on the perfect baguette. Now I want to try ALL the sandwiches. Seriously, you can make a meal here very easily on your way into town. We also bought two packages of mushroom ravioli for another dinner. Salads, olive oil, coffee, condiments - and I haven't even started on the cheese!