When The Spaniard walked in the door of Paddy’s International Cheese Market located off High Street (12509 102 Ave) in Edmonton for the first time he took a deep breath in and said “Oh my, I love this smell.”

The pungent aroma of cheese, or queso in his case, must have brought him back to the market in his hometown of Santander for just a moment. While the selection of cheese at Paddy’s isn’t quite the same as the array of Cantabrian cheeses from the multiple cheese stalls at his market, I know that stopping in for some specialty cheese would be a pleasant experience for him in Edmonton.

The last time we hit a specialty cheese store was in Toronto, where we walked out with a selection based on the advice of the man helping us. This time we decided to go with the aceite grand olive oil goat cheese (from Spain and also conveniently 15% off), and two recommendations from the store.

We both love trying new things and were very happy to walk out with a sample of the Mont Jacob from Quebec- which the sign said was the best washed rind cheese at the 2011 Canadian cheese grand prix and a the Saint Agur – a creamy blue from France.
Paired with some cured meats, nuts and dried apricots, it made for the perfect dinner at home that night.

Paddy’s Cheese has managed to tough it out during the 102 avenue bridge replacement and I hope to see their business increase as the bridge opened yesterday. If you love cheese – this is a lovely little shop in Edmonton that is worth a visit. Pick up some cheese, meat, bread (and maybe some wine) for the perfect date night or a picnic basket to enjoy on a sunny Edmonton afternoon.