Good news for all cheese, charcuterie & wine lovers as there will soon be a mecca in Henley for you, as September will see the opening of The Cheesy Grape right in the centre of town in the Market Place.

Becky Benson from Marlow has always wanted to set up business on her own, when the pandemic hit, working in the events industry, all her work dried up and she came to the conclusion that this was a now or never time to finally take the plunge, and the plunge she took having picked up the keys last week for her new restaurant on the site that was Patisserie Valerie in heart of Henley.

Events and hospitality has always played a massive part in Becky’s life having worked in bars and restaurants and the events industry including working in Australia helping set up new restaurant businesses, so now is the time to do it for herself.

Despite living in Marlow and looking at premises there, Becky knew that Henley was the better and preferred option to open her new venture of all things wine, cheese & charcuterie.

The new restaurant will be serving sharing platters and grazing tables featuring British and overseas produce and supporting local too. Becky is keen to make tasting and choosing wine less intimidating and more accessible to everyone by changing wines frequently, from the quirky to what you can buy similar in the supermarket and having knowledgable staff on hand to answer any questions. Never be too afraid to ask. As well as wines they will also be listing a small selection of ports and sherries.

Image: Giacomo Alonzi

The Cheesy Grape will have local, native and foreign cheeses, as well as home produced charcuterie along with what any wine bar selling charcuterie worth it’s salt would have, a Serrano Ham leg on full display for slicing fresh off the bone. Sourcing all of this fabulous produce helps with Becky having friends and family overseas, including owning a Deli in Paris, a vineyard in Spain and an uncle who lives in the Loire Valley, as well as many fellow foodies and colleagues she has met and worked with over the years.

The Cheesy Grape may not seem like somewhere a vegan would head, but this is where you would be wrong and if you tick this box, then it’s good news. Becky is keen for vegans to be included and be able to share and have the same experience as anyone else at her restaurant, so there will be an extensive selection of vegan cheeses, she says that there are some incredible vegan cheeses out there now and that the choices that have been sought have been carefully thought out and not just a token gimmick.

Image: John Murzaku

Henley is known for it’s independent shops, businesses and cafes and are supported well and discerning customers who visit The Cheesy Grape will be able to envelope themselves in an atmosphere that will have been a personal labour of love with all the design and fittings done by Becky and her partner who will be working evenings and weekends to get the restaurant just how she envisages. Even with the cork artwork she has planned, she hasn’t just bought a job lot off the internet but the corks that you’ll see have been harvested from friends and restaurants like Le Gavrouche.

Becky’s mantra is ‘good food, good wine and good conversation’ and we can’t help but agree with her. We look forward to visiting when they open and working together on the odd event for the Experience Henley Cheese Club. Well, that would go without saying really!

Keep up to date with The Cheesy Grape’s progress via Facebook and Instagram.

For more info visit www.thecheesygrape.co.uk