A NEW name on Uppermill’s High Street has a promise to stand out and incorporate an immersive experience with all five senses – through cheese.
Tyromancer’s owner Huw James a real cheese enthusiast and opened his first store in May 2026.
Delving deep into the folklore of fortune telling and cheese of the middle ages, the business is honouring an age old practice.
People would consult a tyromancer, who would study a piece of cheese and supposedly predict how their future would unfold.
Rather than reading customers’ futures, though, Huw shares every tale behind each block of cheese on the counter.
“It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek reference,” he explains.
@ggc_media A NEW name on Uppermill’s High Street has a promise to stand out and incorporate an immersive experience with all five senses – through cheese. Tyromancer’s owner Huw James a real cheese enthusiast and opened his first store in May 2026. Delving deep into the folklore of fortune telling and cheese of the middle ages, the business is honouring an age old practice. People would consult a tyromancer, who would study a piece of cheese and supposedly predict how their future would unfold. #saddleworth #cheese #manchester #fyp
“What we’re really about is telling the stories behind the cheese and educating customers about where it comes from.
“I deal directly with the farms, speak to the cheesemakers and learn how every cheese is made. “
Almost 90 per cent of Tyromancer’s cheeses comes from British and Irish producers. A carefully selected collection of European varieties completes the range.
One favourite is Coolea, an Irish cheese whose own heritage reflects generations of craftsmanship.
Another is Corleggy, a hard Irish goat’s cheese matured for three to four months. Delicate yet firm, it’s one of Huw’s personal recommendations.
Before swapping marketing consultancy for cheesemongering, Huw spent years in the corporate world, a career change that may surprise many customers.
“In the cheese world,” he laughs, “it’s genuinely thought that if you’re a slightly anti-social person who doesn’t mind getting up early, you make cheese.
“If you’re more sociable and like a lie-in, you sell cheese.
“I’m definitely a more sociable person who likes a slower morning. I sell cheese and definitely don’t make it.”
It is that passion for conversation that has shaped Tyromancer’s approach
While exceptional cheese can be ordered online, Huw believes nothing compares to experiencing it in person.
“Cheese engages all five senses,” he says.
“You can buy incredible cheese online, but in a shop you can taste it, smell it, see it, talk about it, and then take it home.
“That’s something the internet can never quite recreate.”
In an age where convenience often wins, Tyromancer offers something slower and more personal.
A chance to discover not just what you’re eating, but the people, places and traditions behind it.
The only prediction about your future?
Chances are you will leave with a new favourite cheese.
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