De Kaaskamer – Dutch cheeses with a taste of the North Sea
in short…
a picturesque cheese shop in Amsterdam’s Negen Straatjes
handmade raw-milk cheeses from local farms
favourite souvenir - Skylger cheese and dried muscat grapes
Tulips, windmills, Gouda? Of course - if you want to, you can find that charming cliché everywhere in Holland.
And we realise we’re asking for a leap of trust when we say that our secret tip is located in Amsterdam’s Nine Streets, which are actually anything but secret.
But those who, like us, love good cheese should know that the art of cheese-making has been cultivated in the Netherlands for centuries.
And at De Kaaskamer, the lovely little cheese shop in the old town, the finest local cheeses are stacked right up to the ceiling.
There are also selected wines, homemade pesto, roasted nuts and dried fruits.
So please give all those touristy mouse traps a miss and head straight for the real cheese paradise in Runstraat!
Most of the wide range of cheeses we are welcome to try at De Kaaskamer hail from Dutch farms in regions renowned for their dairy products.
Cheese has been made here in the Netherlands since the 12th century.
The mineral-rich salt marshes or the lush grass of the river regions influence the flavour of the milk and, of course, that of the cheeses made from it.
In this delightful shop, all the cheeses come from farmers whom they know personally.
They are made almost exclusively from raw milk, which preserves not only the full flavour but also the best nutritional value.
We love the creamy Skylger cheese, which we first tried at our favourite restaurant in De Pijp, Restaurant JA.
It has a subtle hint of sea salt and comes from the West Frisian island of Terschelling in the Wadden Sea.
Like most cheese sold here, it is available in various stages of maturity.
If you prefer a piquant and robust flavour, go for the long-matured one.
If you’d like to take some of these fragrant cheeses home with you, everything is carefully packed on request.
And of course, the delicious cheese biscuits or the wonderful chutneys also make perfect food souvenirs.
