Regional French Cheeses
Our Range of French Cheeses
To understand how a cheese develops its unique flavour one needs to understand how and where a cheese is made. The first easy difference to work out is created by which animal produces the milk, Cow’s milk produces a soft creamy flavour, goat’s milk creates a stronger, tarter flavour and Ewe’s milk has a strong salty flavour.
Regions
The second difference is how the taste of the milk is affected by the pastures where the animals graze, for example the summer alpine pastures are full of herbs and flowers which create a specific taste therefore the taste is truly regional. Specific breeds of cows are used in different pastures. This led to the authenticity labels AOP/AOC which guarantee the origin of the milk and the production methods.
Raw milk and Pasteurised milk
The production of the cheese will give a further distinctive difference to each cheese, most notably whether the milk has been pasteurised. The original French method was to use raw, unpasteurised milk as this gives a depth of flavour. Pasteurised milk is boiled which removes the bacteria, therefore the cheese ripens more slowly, and the taste can be more subtle. Thereafter the cheese maker’s method of production will create its uniqueness.
The 8 Cheese Families
There are hundreds of different French cheeses, each with its own unique style and taste. There are 8 basic cheese production methods (families) being: fresh cheese, an unripened white cheese such as Fromage frais; soft bloomy rind cheeses such as Brie de Meaux; soft washed rind cheeses such as Epoisses; pressed uncooked cheeses such as Reblochon; pressed cooked cheeses such as Comte; Blue veined cheeses such as Roquefort; Goat’s cheese and finally processed cheese such as Cancoillotte. At the French Market we have selected some of the best cheeses in most of these different families.
We group our cheeses into some more easily recognisable styles for example: Edible crust cheeses with soft centres such as Brie, Camembert, Epoisses and Munster; Firm textured cheese such as Comte and Tomme de Savoie; Blue veined cheeses such as Roquefort and Bleu d’Auvergne; and Goat’s cheese which is very white and tangy.
Edible Crust Cheeses
Edible crust cheeses can be separated into Soft bloomy rinds and Washed rinds. The Soft bloomy rind cheese is created by applying a white mould to the exterior of the young cheese, this forms an edible crust. The interior starts off firm and slowly softens until it becomes runny when ripe. The exterior develops a rusty colour as it matures. These cheeses are usually eaten within a few weeks of production.
The most recognisable and my favourites are the wheels of Brie from Meaux AOC, near Paris, and Camembert AOC from Normandy on the north coast of France. The difference in flavour is due to the regional pastures and the ripeness of the cheese. Another cheese in this style is the triple cream cheese Delice from Burgundy, this cheese has fresh cream added during the process and is quite addictive.
Washed Rind Cheeses
The washed rind cheeses are made by shaping the cheese in a wheel then washing it regularly with a liquid. The cheese develops a golden, orange, moist crust with a liquid creamy inside. The aroma is very pungent, and the flavour fills one’s mouth. Two of my favourites are Epoisses AOC from Burgundy which is washed with a local brandy, the Marc de Bourgogne, and Munster AOC from Alsace which is washed with herbs. Both of these cheeses develop incredibly strong flavours.
Firm textured cheeses
Firm textured cheeses can be separated into pressed uncooked, cheese such as Morbier AOC from the Jura, St Nectaire AOC from the Dore mountains. Reblochon AOC and the Tomme from Savoie; and the cooked pressed cheeses such as Comte AOC from the Jura and Emmental from the Vosges. The best cheeses are made with unpasteurised milk from cows grazing in the high alpine pastures in summertime. The textures are firm, and the flavour fills your mouth but is not overpoweringly strong. These cheeses have a dry crust and are matured for several months.
Blue veined cheeses
Blue veined cheeses have an amazing range of taste and depend on the particular blue mould spores that are introduced to give the cheese its distinctive flavour and texture.
The softest, creamiest Bleu d’Auvergne AOC and the firmer textured Fourme d’Ambert AOC come from the Massif central in the heart of France. Here cheese has been produced for centuries. The strongest and most famous of the blue cheeses that we offer is Roquefort AOC, made from the Lacaune Ewe’s milk cheese which is matured in caves above the town of Roquefort in the south of France. The salty flavour is unique and leaves an unforgettable taste in your mouth. These cheeses can be eaten over a couple of months.
Goat’s Milk and Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Goat’s cheese is easily recognizable as it is very white. It has a distinctive tangy flavour and is delicious on bread or toasted. It comes in several forms, the most well-known is the Buche de Chevre, a cheese made in the shape of a log. This can be made with a crust like the Brie, or without a crust.
The second style are the Crottins de chevre, these are small and round in shape, creamy and easy to spread. The third one we sometimes stock is the Pouligny St Pierre AOC, the Rolls Royce of goat’s cheese which has a very recognisable pyramid shape, the exterior is fairly dry, and the inside is creamy. The taste is exceptional.
Sheep’s Milk (Ewe’s milk) cheese is usually made in regions where the weather can be more severe and the pastures are sparser making grazing difficult for cows, for example the mountainous region of the Pyrenees. In the Basque region there are several famous sheep’s milk cheese, such as Ossau-Iraty. This large wheel of cheese has a dry crust and smooth dense texture. From Spain we stock Manchego, which is made across the border in La Macha region of Spain. The Ossau-Iraty is more handcrafted. The most famous sheep’s milk cheese is undoubtedly the blue cheese, Roquefort.
In addition to French cheese, we also stock Salted and Unsalted gourmet butter.
Please contact us if you would like more specific information on the cheese that we currently have in stock.
Cheese from other countries
In addition to French cheese, we also stock cheese and butter from other countries.
From Italy we stock:
Classic Parmigiano Reggiano aged for 19 months
Pecorino Romano, a hard textured sheep’s milk cheese
Gorgozola, a delicious creamy blue cheese
Truffle butter
Mozzarella di Bufala (Frozen)
Burrata cow’s milk (frozen)
From Denmark we stock white feta cheese
From Ireland we stock Irish cheddar aged from 12 to 18 months
From England we stock Stilton made by Cropwell Bishop.Â
From Spain we stock Manchego cheese.
