Fromage voyage : A cheese lover’s guide to the regions of France

Maroilles in Hauts de France

While the Alps is well known for its many fromages, the second cheesiest region is much closer to Britain. The Hauts de France (formerly known as Picardy and Nord Pas-de-Calais) boasts a wide variety of cow’s milk cheeses, from the ball-shaped orange Mimolette, to the oh-so-stinky Maroilles, which is used in dishes as a pungent sauce, and varieties of Maroilles like the even stinkier Vieux Boulogne. The powerful aroma comes from the rinds being washed in beer, wine, or genever (a spirit that is an ancestor to gin) and the interior isn’t as strong as the smell. You might also notice their love of cheddar – imported to be melted in the local cheese and ham dish Le Welsh.  

Stay at the Auberge d’Inxent near the food-loving town of Montreuil-sur-Mer and Le Touquet on the coast, both with excellent markets. 

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Camembert in Orne

Normandy is well known for its dairy products, from the unctuous crème d’Isigny and its butter, to the four signature cheeses of the region: Livarot, Pont-l’Évêque, Neufchatel and Camembert. The most famous is Camembert, which has achieved global stardom, despite its home village being nothing more than a tiny hamlet. There’s a little museum that tells its history, which tells how it derives from Brie, after local cheesemaker Marie Harel gave refuge to a priest from Coulommiers during the French Revolution. The advantage of being in the pretty hills of the Orne, where the cider orchards are a blaze of white blossom in spring, is that you can try locally produced versions made with raw milk, and ooze much more flavour than their supermarket counterparts.  

Stay at Château de Saint Paterne, a gorgeous family-run château hotel on the outskirts of Alençon. 

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Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in Aveyron

Possibly France’s most famous cheese, this blue sheep’s milk finds its home in the caves under the rocky cliffs of the Causse du Larzac, south of the Massif Central. It’s a tiny village, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t vaut le detour. The main attraction for cheese lovers is the Caves de Roquefort, the maturing caves. A visit will show you how Roquefort is made and how the blue mould originates in the soil of the caves. Its legend tells how a young shepherd boy abandoned his cheese sandwich near the caves when distracted by a beautiful girl. When he returned, the cheese had developed its signature mould and Roquefort was born.   

Stay at the exquisite Château de Labro, just over an hour away on a drive that will take you through some stunning scenery.  

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Laguiole in Aubrac

The Aubrac Plateau is one of the least populated areas in France, where for centuries Simmental cows have grazed on the grass and wildflowers of the vast pastures, before giving their milk for various cheeses such as Laguiole and Tome fraîche. You’ll find the local cheeses in unctuous dishes such as truffade, made with potatoes, and the much-loved aligot, in which the local tomme cheese is mixed with finely pureed potatoes with such deft stirring that the resulting dish can stretch an arm’s length from the pot. The place to try them is the burons – stone shepherd huts-turned auberges.  

Stay at L’Esprit Planèze in Cantal, it’s self-catering so you can buy as much cheese as you can eat! 

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Comté in the Jura and Doubs

To admire the landscape of the Jura is to admire the very place that has been shaped by the production of Comté cheese. It is made with the milk of Montbéliard cows who must consume huge quantities of grass and wildflowers to produce the 400 litres of milk required for just one wheel. As you explore the area, you’ll see the vast prairies that stretch out towards the Swiss Alps, punctuated by pine forests. Comté is a group effort too, and farmers combine their milk at production centres called ‘Fruitières’, that range in size. One of the most incredible sites to visit is the Comté Marcel Petite at Fort Saint Antoine, set in a 19th-century fort high above Lac de Saint-Point. The rind is rubbed with salt during ageing, another product of the area that was mined for centuries in Salins-les-Bains.  

Stay at La Scierie in Salins-les-Bains, a good base to explore the beautiful area.

Picodon in Drôme

As you travel south towards the Mediterranean, the climate becomes less favourable to cows, so goat’s cheese becomes the staple fromage. In the food-loving department of Drôme, it is the characterful Picodon that graces dining tables and is made from the milk of goats that are acclimatised to the warm temperatures of the Rhône Valley. The name comes from the local dialect’s word pico, for piquant, and it has an earthy, nutty flavour. The cheeses are only small – around 5cm in diameter – so ideal for sharing between two, alongside other specialities of the Drôme such as Nyons olives and cherries, and the excellent Rhône Valley wines. If you happen to be near the village of Saoû in July, look out for the Fête du Picodon.  

Stay at Château les Oliviers de Salettes, where you can dine on the terrace overlooking magnificent views.  

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Reblochon in Savoie

If you’ve ever enjoyed a warming plate of tartiflette while walking or skiing in the Alps, then you may know the key ingredient is Reblochon cheese. Its story dates from the 13th century, when farmers were taxed on the quantity of milk their cows produced; so they hoodwinked the landowners by milking their cows twice, first for the taxable quantity and then a ‘reblocher’ (which means to milk for a second time). This resulted in a richer milk that was ideal for cheesemaking. Tartiflette, meanwhile, is a more recent invention – it was promoted in the 1980s as a means to increase the popularity of Reblochon cheese – a very welcome invention. Other alpine cheeses to try include Beaufort in a fondue, or Abondance in the local dish Berthoud which sees it baked with white wine.  

Stay at Maison Lennox in the Paridiski Domain.  

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Artisan cheese in Brittany

Brittany isn’t historically a cheese-making region, despite always having done well with making butter that was enhanced (and preserved) by its copious supplies of salt from the salt marshes at Guérande. However, Brittany’s lack of tradition doesn’t mean there is a lack of supply, it just means there isn’t an iconic AOC-listed cheese to look out for. Instead, pick up those from small producers by visiting cheesemakers on their own farms, such as Fruits des Près, near Fougères, who make a delicious cow’s milk tommette fenouil, with fennel seeds (it’s within easy reach if you’re staying at Le Fournil); or Fromagerie Darley, near the Emerald Coast, who sell at the markets such as Saint Cast-Le-Guildo, Lamballe or Erquy, so are a good place to pick up your own supply if you’re staying at Hotel Le Manoir Saint Michel.  

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