A CHEESE shop has reopened and rebranded following a violent robbery.

La Cave a Fromage in Hove’s Western Road has become Curds and Whey, an upmarket, eat-in deli where customers can pair their dairy with wine from a separate shop inside the same premises, called Cases.

It launched last week.

La Cave a Fromage closed last year. In August, a burglar grabbed the shop’s till and wrestled shopkeeper Istram Dabronyi before smashing his way through the front window and sauntering down Western Road.

The fracas was captured on CCTV, and the robber was detained under the Mental Health Act.

The damage to the shop was extensive, and staff were shaken up. They said they were left “completely at a loss” when it closed.

But now, Cave a Fromage’s former manager is hoping for a fresh start.

David Deaves said the owners have employed many of the old staff to work at the new venture.

But there are changes, too. Chief among them is the shift in focus towards British cheese and wine.

David said: “The owners were very concerned about how La Cave a Fromage closed.

“Curds and Whey presented an opportunity to ask old members of staff back after the robbery last year.

“But the shop is completely different. La Cave specialised in French cheese. We will be hosting guest European cheeses, but the emphasis is on British cheese.

“And we’ve got a lot more wine than before. Cases is stocked by Brighton’s L’Atelier du Vin – we’ve got two separate businesses sharing the same premises.

“Cases specialises in English sparkling wines, including bottles from the Bluebell vineyard near Uckfield.

“But there are also more than 300 wines from Chile, Greece, Uruguay, Italy, and all around the world.

“They’re served by the glass, bottle or carafe, and we can help customers match their wines and cheeses.”

David and cheese aficionado Alex Griffin – who scooped the award for young cheese manager of the year 2019 – can guide customers through an array of artisan British cheesesand rare specialties from Sussex.

There’s Seven Sisters, a sheep’s milk cheese with a seaweed coating, and Burwash, a cheese flavoured with English rose water.

They also sell Golden Cross, a goat’s cheese log rolled in ash, which is said to have a “grassy” taste and a texture “like ice-cream”.

When The Argus visited Alex rifled through the counter and dug out the smelliest cheese – a wheel coated in dried nettles that makes the Stinking Bishop they stock seem like an air freshener.

“It gets even smellier when it warms up”, Alex joked.

Then, there’s a charcoal cheddar. It’s pitch black, dark and dense as a lump of coal.

It dissolves on the tongue and tastes like sour cream.

There are also biscuits, chutneys, and charcuterie.

There’s a lot to look out for at Curds and Whey.

The shop is open 10am-7pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am-5pm on Sunday. Cases is open from midday to 10.30pm and 11am-5pm on Sunday.