A Slow Return: Why I Always Return to This Paris Cheese Shop
Finding the confidence to step inside, and the perfect excuse for a Paris picnic.
If you’ve ever stood outside a French cheese shop wondering whether to go in, I promise you’re not alone.
The first time I did, I remember looking through the window and feeling completely out of my depth. There were cheeses I’d never heard of, customers confidently ordering in French, and a queue that moved far quicker than I felt ready for. Everyone seemed to know exactly what they wanted while I was still trying to work out the difference between a Comté and a Beaufort.
It would have been much easier to keep walking.
Instead, I stepped inside.
The shop was Barthélémy, tucked away on Rue de Grenelle in Paris’s 7th arrondissement. I’d first heard about it from Ina Garten years earlier, who had described it as one of her favourite places in Paris. If it was good enough for the Barefoot Contessa, I thought it was worth finding.
My husband and I were celebrating our anniversary, as we do every five years in Paris, and I’d decided that a picnic beneath the Eiffel Tower deserved cheese from one of the city’s most respected fromageries.
I don’t remember exactly what we bought that afternoon.
I remember how I felt.
Completely intimidated.
But also completely captivated.
Because somewhere between the rows of perfectly aged Comté, creamy Brillat-Savarin, ash-coated chèvre and wheels I couldn’t begin to identify, I realized I was stepping into another part of French culture that, until then, had felt just beyond my reach.
Returning to Barthélémy
Over the years, with every return to Paris and to its cheese shops, I became much more confident walking through those doors. I stopped worrying about not knowing enough and simply asked for recommendations instead. I learned that the cheesemongers were generous with their knowledge and genuinely wanted you to leave with something you’d enjoy.
Before long, Barthélémy had become part of every return trip to Paris.
Years later, I found myself staying in a little pied-à-terre that shared the same courtyard as Barthélémy.
Some evenings I’d stop in on my way home with a baguette under one arm and leave with a piece of cheese for dinner. Back upstairs, I’d open the window, pour a glass of wine, and every so often catch the unmistakable aroma drifting up from the courtyard below.
If You Go
If you’re feeling a little intimidated about stepping inside a traditional French fromagerie, don’t let that stop you.
The people behind the counter know their cheeses, and they know most visitors don't. Tell them what you normally enjoy. Something creamy, firm, mild, strong, nutty, or perhaps a goat- or cow-based cheese. They will usually guide you toward something you’ll like and may offer you a taste before you decide.
It also helps to say how many people you’re buying for and what you plan to do with it. A picnic for two, something for dinner, or a small selection to try. Don't be afraid to tell them your budget.
I would choose two or three small pieces rather than a large selection. Add a fresh baguette, some fruit, and perhaps a bottle of wine, then take everything somewhere lovely and make an afternoon of it.
A Slow Afternoon Near Barthélémy
Once you’ve chosen your cheeses, don’t rush off.
This little corner of the 7th arrondissement is one of my favourite neighbourhoods for gathering the ingredients for a picnic. Within a few minutes, you’ll find wonderful boulangeries, chocolatiers, wine merchants and specialty food shops, particularly on the nearby Rue du Bac, making it easy to gather everything you need for a wonderful picnic.
From there, you have a few lovely options.
If you’ve always dreamed of a picnic with the Eiffel Tower, gather everything you need and make your way to the Champ de Mars. It was where my husband and I celebrated our anniversary all those decades ago.
Or head in the opposite direction to the Luxembourg Gardens. Find an empty green chair, unwrap your picnic, and let the afternoon unfold at its own pace.
If you prefer something by the Seine, find a spot along the riverbank. Few lunches feel more Parisian than a baguette, good cheese, and watching the boats drift by.
Three quintessential Parisian moments that are among my favourite rituals when returning to Paris.
This is one of three monthly themed newsletters. A Slow Return is my way of sharing what I've learned along the way: the pleasures of returning, the joy in small rituals, and the little discoveries that slow travel makes possible.
My first visit to Barthélémy, in the previous location in the ancient 1970s, was amusing - zero French, never saw eggs sold singly, butter dispensed from a butter mountain, clueless about seasonal cheeses, and made to feel totally welcomed by the bevy of ladies who compared, squeezed and proffered their treasure to enable me to choose (never touch the merchandise!). Subsequently visits taught me about aging in their basement cave, the pleasures of summer and winter cheeses, Monsieur Bartélemy’s honey and, later, that he himself had perhaps disappeared with one of my cheese tutors. Despite its discovery by tourists and foreigners, Bartélemy clings to its neighborhood vibe, still has the bevy of cheese whisperers and withstands many contemporary purveyors nearby.
I love this area! A quick walk to Le Bon Marche!