Taste before buying
It is what a counter is for.
Why the counter still matters
Because cheese cut out of brine today is not the same food as cheese sealed three weeks ago.
How we work
Taste it, then decide
Supermarkets sell feta in sealed tubs, which is convenient and flattens every difference between producers. Cut from the brine at a counter, the same nominal product varies from sharp and crumbly to mild and creamy, and the only way anyone finds the one they want is to taste two side by side.
The same applies to olive oil, where the thing that matters is rarely on the front of the bottle. Oil is a fresh product and a two-year-old bottle has lost most of what you paid for, so dating the stock and telling people which is this season is more useful than any amount of label design.
Allergens deserve the opposite of salesmanship. A kitchen this size cannot claim to be free of nuts, sesame or dairy, and pretending otherwise would be dangerous. Saying plainly that cross-contact is possible, and asking people with serious allergies to speak to us, is the only responsible version.
Our principles
Three beliefs behind the method
Date the oil
It is a fresh product, not a preserve.
Be honest on allergens
No kitchen this size is allergen-free.
Coming in?
Ask what is good this week, and taste before you decide.