IF YOU like cheesy love stories, this one is definitely for you.

Oxford's newest cheese monger will be selling truckles made with love by his partner – who just happens to be a cheese maker in West Oxfordshire.

Adam Verlander opened the doors of Jericho Cheese Company on Friday, filling Little Clarendon Street with a delicious aroma.

His unit used to be home to Uncle Sam's Vintage American Clothing, but now stocks a different type of cheese.

Mr Verlander, who lives with his partner David Jowett near Chipping Norton, said he has already received a warm welcome from fellow traders and curious customers.

And, sharing the block with a bakery, a "liquid delicatessen", a weekly veg van and a slew of European restaurants, Mr Verlander is hoping they can turn the road once nicknamed trendy street into a foodie boulevard.

The 38-year-old spent the past six years working at Neal's Yard Dairy cheese shop in London as a monger and manager.

At his Oxford shop he exclusively stocks his 30 favourite British and Irish cheeses from Neal's Yard – plus one Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy.

Among the golden mountains in the window are labels with evocative names like "Appleby's Cheshire", "Kirkham's Lancashire" and "Colston Bassett Stilton".

Just taking the latter as an example, Mr Verlander explained what makes it so different to your average supermarket wedge.

He said: "That is a special old recipe made only for Neal's Yard: firstly it uses traditional rennet which means, generally speaking, you get a better, more complex flavour.

"It's also a much slower process: they wait much longer for the cheese to develop its own flavour before the blue is added."

If Mr Verlander sounds like an expert, that's because he is: of the 30 cheeses he stocks, he says he knows about 90 per cent of the producers personally.

That includes, of course, the exquisite washed-rind Rollright made by Mr Jowett at King Stone Dairy near Chipping Norton.

He says: "It means when that I'm selling, I'm not just selling that piece of cheese, I'm supporting that person and their business."

However, he hastily adds, he is not intending to "bore" his customers with stories about the farmyard dog: "What we're more keen to do is get people tasting this cheese."

On the vexed subject of wine and cheese he says: "I tend to think if you like a wine and you like a cheese, you're probably going to like them together as much as if someone else tells you what to eat and drink.

"It is about getting to know customers, and so far everyone has been absolutely lovely."