Adventures in cheese!

[dodz]

hello egulleters, this is my first post!

i'm currently in the quasi-planning stages of a trip to europe in march of 2005. we will be in france for around 8-10 days and i'd really like to make a day trip or 2 to some of the artisinal cheese farms to sample some regional specialties AT THE SOURCE! (the very thought of it gets me all riled up)

i'm a fan of all kinds of cheese, so anything that you'd recomend would be great to increase my knowledge base at the very least.....i must admit i'm partial to blue cheeses over most though.

does anyone know if i need to book a tour to do things like this? can we just show up?

if arrangements DO need to be made in advance, does anyone have any resources for contact info. on any recomended farms?

thank you for any help or knowledge you have to offer...cheers!

[Marco_Polo]

Hi dodz and welcome,

If it's blue cheese you're after, then you must make a pilgrimage to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, located in the Aveyron of the Haut Languedoc in the hinterland above Montpellier. If you visit one of the largest producers, Societé Roquefort, you will gain a fascinating insight into the production of this magnificent cheese. First you put on sheepskin vests before descending into the moist and cool natural caves. You'll see the large rye loaves that are specially baked, then allowed to go mouldy to provide the bacterium known as Pencilium roqueforti; you'll feel the cool natural exhalations of air known as fleurines that circulate through the caves, you'll see the ewe's milk cheeses being turned by hand, and tasted by the maître affineur. And afterwards you'll taste this magnificent cheese yourself.

Contact Societé Roquefort, 12250 Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, tel 65 58 58 58.

If you're in France in summer, it's wonderful to visit the Alps and climb into the high mountain alpages where the beasts are transported for the summer transhumance. The farmers stay up here for months and make their summer cheeses in situ, wonderful, fragrant, creamy cheeses made from this rich summer milk, such as the inexpressibly delicious Reblochon fermier, truly one of the great cheeses of the world.

This friendly couple make wonderful Reblochon in the high pastures above Lake Annecy (call before you trek up here):

Marguerite et Alain Deloche

Les Languières

74450 Le Grand-Bornand

tel: 50 27 00 20

I adore the creamy, full fat cheeses of Normandy. If you are in this area, visit the Musee de la Camembert in Vimoutiers, then seek out a farmhouse producer who uses lait cru and makes the Camembert in the traditional way, that is moulé a la louche, the curds scooped out by hand with a ladle. Here's another good producer:

François Durand

Ferme de la Héronnière

61120 Camembert

tel: 33 39 08 08

Hope this is some help,

Marc

[artisanbaker]

picodon de dieulefit

la drome (26)

amazing goat cheese

[OnlyTheBest]

hello egulleters,  this is my first post!

i'm currently in the quasi-planning stages of a trip to europe in march of 2005.  we will be in france for around 8-10 days and i'd really like to make a day trip or 2 to some of the artisinal cheese farms to sample some regional specialties AT THE SOURCE!  (the very thought of it gets me all riled up)

i'm a fan of all kinds of cheese, so anything that you'd recomend would be great to increase my knowledge base at the very least.....i must admit i'm partial to blue cheeses over most though.

does anyone know if i need to book a tour to do things like this?  can we just show up? 

if arrangements DO need to be made in advance, does anyone have any resources for contact info. on any recomended farms?

thank you for any help or knowledge you have to offer...cheers!

←

This is not about a tour...but a very amazing book titled French Cheese and written by Patrick Rance. If you are traveling to France you might see if you can find a copy in your library...or in a collectible book store before you go. The book is out of print but a fantastic read on all cheeses French. He really did his research. The late Mr. Rance also did a book on English cheeses entitled The Great British Cheese Book....it too is out of print. There are some copies of each on the Amazon.com/uk web site.

Not cheap...but worth it.

Enjoy your trip...... you can never have enough cheese !

Edited November 13, 2004 by OnlyTheBest (log)

[bleudauvergne]

The Roquefort visit sounds just wonderful....

The first thing is to determine what your favorite cheeses are, and the next step is to contact the tourist bureau (there is always someone who speaks English at the tourist offices, remember to speak slowly and clearly) of the town where they produce the cheese to find out if there's anything special there to see, and if you need to make an appointment with the cheese producers in order to visit. They can take your address in many cases and send you material on visiting the area or direct you to the website.

If your French is up to speed, you can also call the cheese producers directly. Considering that certain French cheeses are legends the world over, there is commonly a shrine devoted to the more famous cheeses for the benefit of the public, but these towns remain generally unspoiled by huge mainstream tourism. This could mean that cheese freaks are a rare breed. Your discovery process of these places is bound to be rich and full of interesting little details that you might not get if you hit the regular tourist spots. There is a magical thrill that comes with plotting your way along cheese making roads and finding the little towns.

A few weeks ago, while on a road trip, we were enjoying the scenery of the herds of cows of the Charolais and I began thinking that it would be a good a time as any to look for a roadside steak frites... Being the navigator, I was hit with the revelation that we were a stones throw from the town of Epoisses at lunch time.

The town itself is very small, has only one main road running through it which rarely sees much traffic, but there is a chateau/monestary to visit, and the fromage making operation is open to the public. In fact I saw a little sign hanging for the fromagerie Berthaut, and it was so nondescript and normal looking I thought that the sign was for a cheese shop and not for the actual cheese making operation. We didn't have too much time, so we had lunch in a restaurant right on the courtyard and ate the "Menu Epoisses", which included a bavette (which I doubt was local beef) with an Epoisses sauce for the main course. The meal was rather plain and I was slightly dissapointed because the cheese plate featured cheeses that were definitely way too young for optimum flavor, and chilled. Slightly silly, I know. But necessary to go. What Epoisses lover in their right mind, when driving by the actual town at lunch time would not stop there? I got a thrill out of it even if the reality was that it was just a normal town, and a very normal meal...

The Relais de la Pomme d'Or

The bavette served at lunch

The two cheeses served after the meal

I have this very bad touristy habit of stopping at the entrance to cheese towns and having my photo snapped next to the sign. My husband knows now that we must stop and always slows down in time for me to spot a place to pull over.

Here's a link I found for Fromagerie Berthaut

[John Talbott]

Welcome! If there's any restaurant info you need related to your cheese search that you cannot find on an existing thread, please let us know.

[markk]

What Epoisses lover in their right mind, when driving by the actual town at lunch time would not stop there? 

INDEED !!!

[TarteTatin]

My favorite cheese is Bleu du Bresse.

In Paris, the best cheese shops we've found have been at the markets, the marche's. Also the Moufettard seems to have good shops. There's a bioligique market (organic) that has good cheeses.

Don't forget to try fromage frais for breakfast. Delightful.

[Bux]

I have at times when driving in rural areas on back roads been known to follow any hand lettered sign that says "chevre." I've never really had the opportunity to discuss the process, but we've been able to buy lovely local goat cheeses. At the open air market on market day in any market town, you are likely to find local producers selling their own cheeses. This is particularly true of goat cheeses which are often made in very small quantities by small producers.

There has been at least one good thread on cheese shops in Paris. You will be hard pressed to find better cheeses than at the best affineurs in Paris or other parts of France. Where are you going to be in France for those 8-10 days? Or should I be reading Paris for France and that you are interested in a day trip from Paris to find cheese? Will you have a car? Brie and most of the fabulous cheeses of Normandy are both within reach of a day trip as are the wonderful chevres of the Loire, but I don't know of any special blue cheeses that close to Paris.

I have found the regional cambres of commerce or tourist bureaus have excellent publications covering the local food. I've run across brochures listing all sorts or artinsanal producers within the area by stopping at the various tourist offices in small towns and large cities.

[zoeadler]

If you don't have time to go there but would like to try the Corsican cheeses, I'd highly reccomend that. There are certain ones that are so strong they knocked the socks off of my french boyfriend who is a veteran of strong cheeses. Also try the Tome from Corsica. Additionally if you are going to travel, be sure to go to the Dordogne region of France - we had a cheese there that you CANNOT get in Paris. It's made by monks in this one little town. It's made of walnut liquer I think or walnut infusion and it it SO GOOD!!! We had it when we stayed at the Chateau de la Treyne in La Cave. If you are interested in going down there let me know and I'll look in my notes from the trip and see if I can find the city where those monks are. I'm not sure what your budget or timeframe is - but the Chateau was amazing and could be a nice stop.

[dodz]

wow, thanx for all the great replies thus far guys! you've all been a great resource for a nOOb traveler like myself....

i'll be looking into a lot of that.....especially the roquefort caves... i've wanted to go there for a while.

i'm starting to get the feeling i won't care much to leave france once i get there....

[bleudauvergne]

If you don't have time to go there but would like to try the Corsican cheeses, I'd highly reccomend that.

←

I heartily recommend Zoe's suggestion to get into a cheese shop while you are in Paris to try the corsican cheeses. There was one wonderful herb encased sheeps cheese, you know it by the little red peppers on top called Brin d'Amour that is really wonderful. Our Paris source had it in perfect condition, La Maison du Fromage. I have seen it in many other places, sometimes I see similar cheeses. It's got to be Brin d'Amour - any old herb encased brebis is not going to be the same.

La Maison du Fromage

118 r Mouffetard 75005 PARIS 01 45 35 13 19

[bleudauvergne]

I have at times when driving in rural areas on back roads been known to follow any hand lettered sign that says "chevre." I've never really had the opportunity to discuss the process, but we've been able to buy lovely local goat cheeses. At the open air market on market day in any market town, you are likely to find local producers selling their own cheeses. This is particularly true of goat cheeses which are often made in very small quantities by small producers.

←

We've done the same and also were able to watch the milking and visit the barn where they had the newborns. They were really adorable. They had a little lamb as well that had lost it's mother and was in the same pen. I looked the mother goat in the eyes, she stood up and came over and stared at me very hard - I felt like I was looking into the eyes of an alien space creature - well, if you make it to a farm where they make chevre you'll see what I mean. But do visit the farms who put their signs on the side of the road, they are used to visitors and will show you around, you can arrive without calling ahead.

[chefzadi]

hello egulleters,  this is my first post!

i'm currently in the quasi-planning stages of a trip to europe in march of 2005.  we will be in france for around 8-10 days and i'd really like to make a day trip or 2 to some of the artisinal cheese farms to sample some regional specialties AT THE SOURCE!  (the very thought of it gets me all riled up)

i'm a fan of all kinds of cheese, so anything that you'd recomend would be great to increase my knowledge base at the very least.....i must admit i'm partial to blue cheeses over most though.

does anyone know if i need to book a tour to do things like this?  can we just show up? 

if arrangements DO need to be made in advance, does anyone have any resources for contact info. on any recomended farms?

thank you for any help or knowledge you have to offer...cheers!

←

If you want to TOTALLY get artisanal go to a farmer's market. The one that came to my village when I was a kid (but it's still there) had all sorts of handmade cheeses made by very small farmers. It was artisanal made to the EXTREME. The first time my wife saw these cheeses she was mesmerized. She told me felt like she was having a true cultural experience. I feel like crying now I miss French food so much.

[LindaK]

dodz, I envy you your first "cheese in France" experience. My first visit to a fromagerie in Paris was a semi-religious experience, I almost cried. how pathetic, n'est-ce pas?

The advice you're getting here is good, when touring I never made appointments but just followed the signs. More often, I simply bought what was local, especially at the farmers' markets. Though be forewarned, those first few visits before my French improved were a little intimidating--during peak time when the markets were crowded, not everyone was very patient with someone (me) who didn't know the customs for ordering, what she wanted, etc. Still, once I got the hang of it, it became a real pleasure, the kind of experience you always remember fondly.

Please, take good notes and report back your favorites. The rest of us need to live vicariously...

[esperanza]

Try to find a good St Marcellin. When I dream of France and the cheese at farmers' markets, I dream of Voiron and fromage St Marcellin.

It's been two years, almost three, since I was last in the Isère and still I dream of the cheese.

[Bantams]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here on the eGullet forums. I live on Vashon Island, WA, USA, and I own a Jersey cow, Iris, who I milk, and I make cheese, butter, ice cream, crème fraiche, and other dairy products with her milk.

Anyway, a friend and I are planning a trip to France and Italy for late August, as I have wanted to visit France for a very long time, to study cheesemaking. We will be spending a few days in Paris, then about a week in the Lyon area (probably). If our plans for Lyon don’t fall through (visiting Herve Mons and his cheese aging caves), we are open to other ideas of where to stay for a week in France. The main purpose for this trip is food, specifically cheese.

Assuming we stay in Lyon (near Roanne), can you recommend which farmer’s markets to go to, restaurants to eat at (although we won’t be eating out much since we will have a kitchen where we are staying), small farms that produce handmade cheese that we could visit, or any other culinary gems?

If we don’t stay in Roanne, do you have any suggestions for where else to stay in France (preferably somewhere between Paris and the Italian border) where we could visit cheesemakers and their farms?

I know this is rather late to be planning, but I will appreciate any information you have!

Thank you so much!!!

Kelsey

[bleudauvergne]

Dear Kelsey what a great project! I have a few addresses. My first question to you would be what kind of cheese interests you, since many different types of cheese are made a stone's throw from here. As to where to go for a good selection of cheeses in Lyon, I'll also put my list up within the next couple of days.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Once you are as far east as Lyon, I have to urge you to investigate a visit to Bernard Antony who is arguably one of France's most important affineurs. His business is supplying France's finest cheese purveyors as well as not a few 3 star restaurants.

At least worth your investigation, check him out. He holds forth weekends at reservation-only degustations. I wish I were in your suitcase.

Bernard Antony

17 rue de la Montagne

Vieux-Ferrette (south of Strasbourg)

03.89.40.42.22

[Bantams]

Thanks for the quick replies! We bought our plane tickets today - August 18 / September 2. We are staying in Paris for a few days and then heading off to Lyon/Roanne; the later half of the trip will be spent in Florence, Italy.

Lucy, I love just about any type of cheese. From what I have read, it seems that the Rhone-Alpes farmers mostly have Abondance cattle and make Reblochon, Beaufort, Tomme de Savoie, and a few others. I guess they could also have goats or sheep there, and make other types of cheese. I would really appreciate the addresses of the farms you have in mind. Would we be able to communicate by email with them first, or do we just show up?

Margaret, thanks for Bernard Antony's address. I will look into visiting his place.

Kelsey

[John Talbott]

We are staying in Paris for a few days

Kelsey

←

I assume you know of and will be dropping by the well-known places in Paris - eg Alleosse, Cantin, Quatrehomme (several locations), Barthelemy and Chez Virginie; not as fun as the affineurs in the provinces, but still OK.