Androuet — Specialty Store in Les Halles, Paris

Androuet is a branch of the fromagerie chain, and this one is a small corner shop on Rue de Verneuil in Les Halles, a short walk from Les Halles station. What you notice first is how little room there is: a compact counter with goat, sheep and cow's milk cheeses packed together, and one person behind it giving you their full attention.

Start with the Comté if you are carrying cheese home. You taste a few before deciding, and it is vacuum sealed so it survives the journey, with storage advice for wherever you are going. Vézelay goat cheese is the other name worth asking for. Tête de Moine is shaved into flowers at the counter, which makes it the piece to bring out at a table rather than eat on the way.

The shop works by conversation rather than by shelf labels. Say what you like, and cheeses you had not spotted come out from behind the counter to try. If you are putting together a picnic, you can leave with cheese, a small cold bottle of wine and glasses, plus a suggestion for where to sit and which baguette to pick up across the street. Everything is wrapped for travel, including cheese preservation paper for a long trip.

Prices sit at €5–20 for a few items, which is ordinary for a Paris cheese counter rather than a splurge. The tasting costs nothing, so ask to try before you commit to a piece. Saturday is the long day, open from 9:30 am straight through to 7:30 pm; on other days the shop shuts for a couple of hours around lunch, so a midday visit can find it closed.

The shop is listed as open on Sunday mornings, so do not build a Sunday plan on it. Come on a weekday or Saturday instead. This suits anyone who wants to learn what they are buying and take it home intact.