we've been here five years now and so we're starting to think of cheese as one of the main food groups...
we usually have cheese for supper with some fruit and raw veg like radis and celery, pear and apple. we know what we like but we love to try new tastes - i think it'll be years before we've exhausted the possibilities...
today at Les Halles in Avignon we bought a Brillat Savarin which had a layer of truffles in it...
I can't stop thinking about it - roll on supper!
all ideas welcome...
I've met him quite a few times and he's an interesting guy, and not what I would class as unreliable.
And as far as Humphrey Errington's (who I also know) cheese goes they have received all sorts of UK and European accolades and awards, especially from the cheese & food industry.
Younger cousins came for a visit from the UK last week and we headed for the fromagerie. I was pleased to see the Xmas treat was still in stock: Bleu de Gex coated in Marc de Savoie and the crushed grapes and pips left from wine pressing. The flavour permeates the cheese, still relatively young, and it is gorgeous. It wasn't available when we left for Xmas in the UK and I had not expected to find any at the end of January, so I bought a large chunk and we overindulged completely.
We cheesed out on raclette, fondue and tartiflette (made with comté, morbier and bleu de Gex instead of usual Reblochon and a great success). Diet must start this week......
George, I would take anything spoken by someone who talks to trees as 'unreliable' !
In the local 'English Shop' they are selling UK cheeses from 'Windyridge'. I'm intrigued to know how 'Mango & Cider' and 'Wensleydale & Cranberries' taste. i'll be trying both very soon..
If you like blue cheese try Lanark Blue and Dunsyre Blue.
Prince Charles is on record as saying Lanark Blue is as good as Roquefort, a view backed by many top chefs etc.
I know Humphrey (its producer) has cheese exported to France but I'm not sure where - it's certainly not to 17 !
Hello Diana - thank you for the tip - just by chance we found some bleu de Gex today and agree it is a delicious substitute for Stilton (and in Dunkerque it was considerably cheaper than the stilton)
Hi,
We are on markets in (46) and selling FRESH Gouda Old and FRESH Gouda Cumin Old.
Also selling homemade sausagerolls and a lot more.
I Import from Holland the cheese and they vacuuming it for me in Holland.
Mimolette (jaune ou moyenne), and cantal cut fresh from the round...those two get eaten very quickly
Rocamadour, Ossau-Iraty and Morbier.
I don't know whether it's just our area, but it's common to melt cheese and pour or spoon it over potatoes, chicken, veg. Look for tubs of Cancoillotte, heat gently in a bowl or jug in oven or even microwave, and pour over food - it comes in lots of flavours. Another good one is Mont d'Or which comes in a round wooden package - make a dip in the top of the cheese, pour a small quantity of white wine into the dip and heat in its wooden packaging in the oven until it melts. Provide spoon for serving and spoon over potatoes. Must go, I'm making myself hungry.....
Livarot is very nice Teresa, trust me !
making me hungry!
Pont l'Eveque I've tried but not Livarot (might be that the name's a bit off-putting!)
it's similar i guess?
thanks Pamela - it always looked at bit frightening, but i'll give it a go!
Diana, thank you so much - that's really interesting
we LOVE comte - we can get 18 and 24 months, but not young... i'll ask for it!
we like morbier too, and i'll get some Tomme de Savoie or Jura at the market tomorrow and report back
Comté is made in our valley, so readers might be interested in a little background info. It can only use the Comté name if it is produced from cows who graze in meadows in our area and while they are indoors during the snow season they get 100% local meadow hay (we won't mention the pears and apples adventurous cows have been known to pick from my neighbour's trees!). In a good year every field is mown three times to provide adequate hay stocks, and no field is too small. In a long winter this can be a worry for the farmers. Our local cows' milk goes to the Fromagerie up the valley where Comté and Bleu de Gex are made. Comté is our staple cheese here, used for fondue savoyarde, dauphinoise, gratin, unlimited options. It can be matured for years, I buy both young and mature - after 18 months you get that "cheddar" tang at the back of your tongue. Incidentally, a mature bleu de Gex is a very good substitute for a Stilton as it lacks the salty taste of other blue cheeses.
We are very lucky here, we have a goat farm up the road as well, and the fresh goats cheese is gorgeous, nothing like the dry version with the white flora around it, although you can buy that, too, for cooking.
Tomme de Savoie or de Jura is a more delicate flavour, and don't forget Morbier with its distinctive stripe of blue up the middle (but don't buy too much, it tastes best when very fresh).
I'm so lucky to live here as I've always been a cheese addict!
I had a nice seafood meal in Courseulles (Calvados) last year and the cheeseboard was "Les fromages de Calvados'. After the Bisque de Homard, and the Moules à la Grandmère the plate of cheese arrived with a chunk of Camembert, Pont l'Eveque and Livarot. It was flippin' delicious !
This is my favorite .... smeared on a nice piece of fresh bread
Best you can get from a normal supermarket is "Old Amsterdam" but it's worth looking whenever you visit a decent cheese shop/stall. Ultimate source is a visiting Dutch friend
thanks Georgina, looks like a very interesting, informative site
... however i'd never order food online in france! delivery via courier here in provence is patchy!
sometimes we get things within a day or so, sometimes it's the 'jambon express' ... we ordered a ham that took 7 weeks, SEVEN, !!! to get here
Hello Teresa, maybe you would like to have a look at fromage.com - they are delivering very very good quality but perhaps it is also interesting for you to read their very nice informations, recipes and other little stories to go with cheese they sell.