This shop has a soul. And now it is part of our history, as we are part its history !
Tuesday 13 September 2011, by Florence Boulenger
The Belgian capital’s oldest creamery has developed a very cosmopolitan offer.
In the summer, you can sit at a table beneath the sycamores and taste for example, the house cheeseburger. You can put your trust entirely in Jordan Greenwood, one of the two owners of the Linkebeek Creamery : he knows cheeseburgers ! His parents are American and Jordan will serve you a nice piece of hamburger meat on an English muffin with « real » cheddar, cocktail sauce, a strip of bacon and sautéed onions... Jordan also has a « top secret » cheesecake recipe handed down from his New-York grandmother.
Jordan and his associate, Laurence Duhot, took over the establishment in 2004 : the oldest creamery in Brussels (1902) is located in the capital’s « stomach », a lively neighbourhood, appealing and centred on gastronomy.
Previously, Laurence ran a Panini shop and Jordan worked in the jewellery and translation fields. « I wanted to own a neighbourhood business, a shop which allows locals the opportunity to take a break inside a “ village ” atmosphere. I fell in love with the Linkebeek Creamery, its old tiles, its outmoded atmosphere. This shop has a soul. And now it is part of our history, as we are part its history ! We are the fourth set of owners. We are very pleased to have brought our own personal touch to this institution which is much older than us. »
New York-style Cheesecake
On the shelves, the selection is varied, essentially farmstead and, keeping with the image of Brussels, very cosmopolitan : « The majority of our cheese is French, but it is not a stifling majority. We are also interested in cheese from Switzerland, Spain, Italy, England, the Netherlands... We also have a nice selection of goat cheese ! »
Among Jordan’s favourites, « for the time being » at least, are the Beppino Occelli’s Testun al Barolo or the sheep’s-milk cheese Galets from Annie Askamp (France). The shop also carries a choice of deli meats (Corsican coppa, cooked Italian herbed ham, pepper-dried bacon from the Pyrenees...) and a selection of wine that can be consumed on the premises or taken home : « We don’t want to compete with the wine stores, we limit ourselves to a few of our favourites, 8 to 10 wines that we truly appreciate. »
For lunch, Laurence and Jordan offer sandwiches made with cheese from their store shelves: pesto, Lamb’s lettuce and Comté, or cooked ham, feta and asparagus. The Linkebeek Creamery carries the name of its first owner, a maker of farmstead cheese who wanted to sell his own cheeses : his successors maintain the standard in terms of quality and welcoming customers.
Hours : from 9h to 15h Mondays, from 9h to 18h Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 8h to 18h Saturdays.