London: Cheese Walking Tour with Tastings

London’s best cheese tour is part tasting, part city walk, and part comedy routine. You’ll sample Stilton at Fortnum & Mason, try Italian drunk cheese in London’s Little Italy, and finish in Covent Garden after a friendly cheese quiz.

I like the generous tastings and the way the route reveals shops you could easily miss while walking through Mayfair, Soho, and the West End. I also like the guides’ personal style: Jack, Perla, Bettina, Nic, and others have made this tour lively with jokes, local facts, and clear cheese know-how. The main drawback is simple: you need to keep walking, and the tour may feel more focused on cheese than on detailed London history.

Key points at a glance

• Fortnum & Mason sets the tone: Taste blue cheese at one of London’s grandest food counters, with more than 300 years of cheese-selling behind it.
• The samples are the main event: Expect British soft cheese, Stilton, Italian cheeses, unusual varieties, and prosecco.
• The quiz keeps you involved: The QUIZtro Formaggio turns the walk into a light team competition rather than a string of tastings.
• The route covers central London: Start by Green Park, pass through Mayfair and Soho, visit Little Italy, and finish in Covent Garden.
• Guides make a big difference: Jack is known for dry jokes and a memorable Churchill impression, while Perla, Bettina, Nic, and others bring their own energy.
• The $47 price is fair for food lovers: You are paying for premium samples, a live guide, and a social walking experience, not just a quick cheese plate.

Why this two-hour cheese walk works

This is a good choice when you want to see London through its food shops instead of spending another afternoon moving from major sight to major sight. The route takes you through Mayfair, Soho, Little Italy, and Covent Garden, but cheese remains the thread tying it all together.

I like that the experience does not treat food as a minor extra. The tastings are spread across the walk, so you get time to compare flavors and ask questions rather than simply receiving one overloaded plate at the start.

The tone is deliberately playful. Expect cheese jokes, quiz questions, and guides who are happy to play up the subject. Jack, one of the frequently mentioned guides, is known for a dry sense of humor and a Churchill impression. Other guides, including Perla and Bettina, bring a warmer and more conversational approach.

That range matters. The basic route and tastings may be similar, but your guide shapes the afternoon. The strongest guides turn a list of shops into a proper group activity, helping strangers talk to one another and keeping the pace moving.

Starting at the Statue of Goddess Diana

You meet your guide near the Statue of Goddess Diana, using the Green Park exit from the Underground. Look for the blue flag. This is a sensible meeting point because it is easy to reach from central London, but give yourself time to find the correct station exit.

The opening section gets you oriented before the first tasting. You are not simply being taken from one food counter to the next. The guide introduces London’s link with cheese and sets up the quiz, which runs through the walk.

Wear comfortable shoes. This is a genuine walking tour, not a seated food event with a short stroll between venues. One participant specifically noted that the walking could be a problem for anyone with mobility limits, even though the group adapted as best they could.

The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible, but you should still confirm that the route and current shop access suit your needs before booking. Central London shops can be busy and compact, and the experience involves moving between several locations.

Fortnum & Mason and the serious Stilton stop

Fortnum & Mason is the grandest food stop on the route. The department store has been selling cheese for more than 300 years, supplies the royal household, and sells large amounts of Stilton each December.

The point here is not only to visit a famous shop. You get to taste a blue cheese in a setting where cheese has long been part of the store’s identity. If you normally avoid blue cheese, this can be a useful introduction because the guide explains what you are tasting and how to think about its flavor.

The Stilton has been a favorite for many people on the tour, including those who usually avoid stronger cheeses. That makes this stop more useful than a simple photo opportunity. You can test your own assumptions about blue cheese, compare it with later samples, and perhaps find a new cheese to buy.

There is also a practical benefit. Fortnum & Mason is famous, but many visitors focus on tea, hampers, and the building itself. This tour directs your attention to the cheese counter, giving you a reason to look closely at a part of the store you might otherwise pass.

Paxton & Whitfield and London’s specialist cheese shops

The route passes Paxton & Whitfield, one of London’s best-known specialist cheesemongers. You do not need to be a serious food shopper to enjoy this stop. The value is seeing how a specialist counter differs from an ordinary supermarket shelf.

A good cheesemonger can explain where a cheese comes from, how it was made, and what to pair with it. The guides use these visits to put the samples into context, discussing production, taste, and the place of cheese in London’s food culture.

This is one of the tour’s strongest features for repeat visitors to London. You may know the West End well, yet still walk past small food shops without noticing them. The tour points out places where you can return later to buy cheese for a picnic, a dinner, or a gift.

The route also passes Whole Foods Market. That stop gives you another point of comparison between a large food market and a specialist cheesemonger. I would not book the tour expecting a private behind-the-scenes visit at every shop, but you do get a useful look at how central London sells and presents food.

Soho and the city between tastings

The walk through Soho helps break up the tasting schedule. You move through one of central London’s best-known districts while the guide continues the cheese quiz and adds local information.

This part is less about a single major sight and more about the way the tour uses ordinary movement. You are walking between food stops, but the guide can point out details and stories that would be easy to miss on your own.

Several people who have taken the tour regularly in London liked seeing familiar areas differently. That is the right expectation. This is not a full Soho history tour, and one participant felt there was less local history than expected. Instead, you get short pieces of London context tied to shops, food, and the route.

The balance works best if you enjoy a relaxed pace and informal storytelling. If you want a tightly packed sightseeing tour with dates and architectural facts at every corner, this may feel light. If you like learning something while eating, it fits well.

Little Italy and the Italian cheese tasting

The Italian section is where the tasting becomes more unusual. You try Italian cheeses, including drunk cheese, a style made with wine or other alcoholic influences that gives the cheese a distinctive character.

The prosecco helps turn this into a social pause rather than a formal lesson. You get to compare cheese and wine in a simple, accessible way without needing prior knowledge. The guide explains the samples, but you are not expected to memorize technical terms or identify every flavor correctly.

This is also where the experience moves beyond familiar British favorites. The selection may include cheeses you would not normally choose, and the tastings can include soft cheese, goat cheese, blue cheese, and other stronger styles. One especially useful detail is that people who usually avoid blue or goat cheese have still found samples they enjoyed.

Do not expect a full meal. The portions are described as generous sliced samples, but the experience is still a tasting walk. If you arrive hungry, you may want to eat a light meal first or plan food after the tour.

The QUIZtro Formaggio cheese quiz

The cheese quiz gives the afternoon a reason to stay active. Rather than listening to a guide for two hours, you answer questions, collect points, and in some groups compete in teams.

This simple idea has real value. Food tastings can become passive, especially when several stops follow the same pattern. The quiz makes you pay attention to the cheese, the shops, and the stories. It also gives people an easy way to chat with one another.

The competition is friendly rather than serious. You do not need specialist cheese knowledge to take part. The point is to guess, learn, and enjoy the jokes. Guides such as Jack and Nic have been praised for keeping the quiz interactive, while Si was noted for splitting the group into teams and building the walk around the competition.

If you dislike group games, this is worth considering before booking. The quiz is a central part of the tour’s personality, not a small optional extra. Most people will find it harmless and amusing, but a quiet tasting without audience participation would be a different experience.

Finishing in Covent Garden

The tour ends in Covent Garden, a useful finish for the rest of your day. From here, you can continue sightseeing, shop for food, or find a proper meal after the samples.

Ending in Covent Garden also gives the route a clear shape. You begin near Green Park, cross through Mayfair and Soho, and finish farther east in the West End. The walk itself becomes part of the experience, showing how close several different central London districts are when you move between them on foot.

You should leave room in your schedule after the tour. Two hours is the stated duration, and past groups have sometimes run a little beyond that. It is not a major issue, but avoid booking a timed attraction immediately afterward.

What the $47 price includes

At $47 per person, this sits in the reasonable middle range for a central London food activity. You receive soft cheese samples, Italian cheese samples, prosecco, and a live English-speaking guide. You also pay for the route and the effort of organizing tastings at several respected food shops.

The value is strongest if you would otherwise buy several premium cheeses yourself. Fortnum & Mason and specialist cheesemongers are not budget food stops, and the experience lets you taste a range without buying a full portion of each.

It is less valuable if you want a large lunch or a long seated tasting. This is a walking experience with samples, not a restaurant meal. I would treat the price as payment for food, guiding, local discoveries, and a structured afternoon.

The 4.7 rating from 232 reviews supports the idea that the format works consistently. The praise is especially strong for the guides, the quality of the cheese, the humor, and the sense of value. The repeated caveat is not about the food. It is about walking and, for some people, expecting more traditional London history than the tour provides.

Who should book this cheese tour?

I would recommend it to:

• Cheese lovers who want to try British and Italian styles in one afternoon
• Couples looking for a playful London date activity
• Friends who enjoy quizzes, food, and informal group tours
• Repeat London visitors who want to explore Mayfair, Soho, and Covent Garden differently
• Food-focused visitors who enjoy specialist shops and premium samples
• People who normally avoid certain cheeses but are willing to experiment

It is less suitable if you want a quiet, private experience, a full meal, or a detailed architectural tour. It may also be a poor fit if you cannot comfortably walk between several central London stops.

The tour can be tailored for vegetarians and vegans, so mention your needs when booking. The guide language is English, and comfortable shoes are essential.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if cheese is a real interest, not just a passing preference. The combination of Stilton, Italian drunk cheese, prosecco, specialist shops, and a playful quiz gives you more than a standard tasting plate.

I especially like it for a second or third London visit, when you have already seen the major sights and want a different way through the city. First-time visitors can enjoy it too, but you should understand that the cheese comes before the sightseeing.

At $47, the experience offers fair value for two hours of tastings, guiding, and central London exploration. Go in with comfortable shoes, a willingness to laugh at cheese jokes, and realistic expectations about portion sizes. If that sounds like your kind of afternoon, book it.

FAQ

Where does the cheese walking tour start?

The tour starts at the Statue of Goddess Diana near Green Park. Use the Green Park exit from the Underground station and look for a guide holding a blue flag.

Where does the tour finish?

The tour finishes in Covent Garden.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts two hours, although you should allow a little flexibility in case the group runs slightly over.

What cheese will I taste?

Samples include soft cheeses, Stilton and other blue cheeses, Italian cheeses, and unusual varieties such as drunk cheese. The exact selection can vary.

Is prosecco included?

Yes. Prosecco is included along with the cheese samples.

Is the tour suitable for vegetarians and vegans?

The tour can be tailored for vegetarians and vegans. Tell the provider about your dietary needs when booking.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible. Because it is a walking tour through several central London locations, confirm that the current route and shop access suit your needs.

What should I bring?

Bring comfortable shoes. You will walk between Green Park, Mayfair, Soho, Little Italy, and Covent Garden.