Here is a typical selection of French cheeses which I like to offer my dinner guests:

1 Roquefort

This cheese is often called the ‘king of French cheeses‘ a title it truly deserves. Made from ewe’s milk it originates from the sunny south of France. It is a really delicious blue cheese which is renowned all over the world.

2 Brie

Of the four hundred plus cheeses that come from France, Brie is most probably the most well known all over the globe. It originates from the Ile de France and I like to buy it a few days before I intent putting on my cheeseboard, so that it is really runny when I serve it to my dinner guests.

3 Comté

I love this hard cheese which is made out of unpasteurized cow’s milk. It comes from the eastern region of France called Franche-Comte. It is deliciously tasty and slightly sweet.

4 Crottin de Chavignol

I adore goats cheese and this has to be my favorite. It is made in the village of Chavignol which is in the Loire Valley. It is delicious, especially with sweet white grapes.

5 St Nectaire

This lovely French cheese comes from the region of France called Auvergne. It is an uncooked cheese that is made out of both pasteurized and unpasteurized cow’s milk. It is an absolute must on any cheeseboard.

6 Vacherin Mon d’Or

Made from cow’s milk this rich creamy cheese is produced in the Jura region of France. It is made from unpasteurized milk and sold in little round boxes which are made out of spruce. I like to buy this cheese well in advance of a dinner party so that it is really nice and runny which brings out all of the flavors.

7 Camembert de Normandie

Camembert cheese is renowned all over the world as being a truly delicious creamy French cheese and no cheeseboard would be complete with it on it. It is made out of pasteurized cow’s milk these days, but when it was first produced it was made out of unpasteurized milk.

Do you have favorite French cheeses that you love to either have on hot crusty bread or with fruit or salads after a meal? I really like to serve a green salad at the same time as the cheeseboard.

Here are four French cheese dishes which I really enjoy cooking and my family and friends love to eat.

1 Aligot

This is a wonderfully rich dish which is made out of melted Tomme cheese and mashed potatoes with garlic and parsley. You can use other cheeses like Laguiole but it does need to be a full flavored cheese for the dish to really work.

2 Auvergne Blue Cheese Tart

I adore French tarts and this savory version makes either a wonderful snack or even hors d’oeuvre before a dinner party. The recipe uses lovely light puff pastry so it really does melt in your mouth and the tangy blue cheese from Auverge is quite strong but very delicious.

3 Tartiflette

This lovely light tart comes from the Savoy region of France and it is made of potatoes, jambon, butter, onions, dry white wine, thick heavy fresh cream and Reblochon cheese, which if you have never tasted, then you really are missing out on one of the best cheeses that France produces.

4 Raclette

Raclette is a Savoyard cheese and this dish is simply scrumptious. It is very rich with lots of fresh cream, potatoes, smoked jambon and Grizon meat. The cheese is cooked under the grill and then scraped off onto a dish with the meat, boiled potatoes and cornichons, simply too moreish.

Do you have a favorite French cheese dish that you love to prepare and then serve up to your friends and family? Which is your favorite French cheese?

1 Caprice de Dieux, Camembert and Pont L’Evêque – Fondue

These three cheeses make the best fondue ever, and are used to prepare Light Normandy Fondue. The great thing is you can serve this fondue with raw vegetables like carrots, celery or any one that you particularly like. I must say I love it with crispy bread though.

2 Boursault Cheese – Uncooked Stuffed Tomatoes

I do love stuffed vegetables and tomatoes stuffed with Boursault cheese and garlic makes a lovely starter for dinner parties. I add fresh chives on top just before I serve the stuffed tomatoes to my guests.

3 St Nectaire – with Fresh Salmon

Salmon is such a lovely fish and a cheese sauce made with St Nectaire, white wine, shallots, fresh cream and garlic, it takes on another culinary dimension. Served with mange tout, this is a great dish for a dinner party because it is so easy to prepare.

4 Pie d’Angloys with Tarte Tatin

French apple tart is gorgeous but when you add a topping of cheese like Pie d’Angloys, the pie takes on a completely new taste which is simply out of this world. I love to serve this with a dollop of thick fresh double cream.

5 St Albray cheese with Pink Grapefruit and Shrimps

I do think grapefruit and shrimp go together really well and the addition of St Albray cheese, makes this dish a tasty starter. Pineapple, orange juice, yogurt as well as avocado and endives are all in the recipe.

Do you have a favorite dish that has cheese in it? Have you found a recipe that you have prepared and loved? Why not tell us about it?

Here are a few goats’ cheeses that come from Corsica and if you find any of these either at a local store or online, you really do have to try them because they are really delicious.

1 A Filleta

This soft full flavoured cheese is traditionally eaten on bread with fig jam. It has won many awards in France and is one the cheeses from Corsica which has been traditionally made for decades.

2 A Casinca

Casinca is a very traditional cheese made from pasteurised milk – it is has a lovely texture with a hint of hazel nut. I love to serve this goat’s cheese on my cheeseboard when I have a dinner party and particularly like it with white grapes.

3 U Fiumorbu

This superb Corsican goat’s cheese won the ‘Médaille Or’ in Paris in 2010. It is made with pasteurised milk and I must say that I love to eat this cheese on toast and lots of good quality unsalted butter.

4 Fromage Fermier Affiné de Chèvre

Corsican goat’s cheeses are all made in a very traditional way and none more so that this one. It is quite salty so I love to eat it with fruit like apples or grapes. This cheese completes a cheeseboard perfectly.

Do you like goat’s cheese or have you never tried it before? It is an acquired taste, but eaten on toast as they do in Corsica with fig jam it is simply delicious. The saltiness and full flavor of the cheese with the sweetness of the jam is a great combination.

1 Cheese Soufflé

There is something about a cheese soufflé as it comes out of the oven that makes it so very appetizing. The wonderful aromas of the cooked cheese and the lightness of the dish are so very morish. Cheese soufflé is such a great starter to an evening dinner party, especially when the weather is cold. If cooked to perfection it simply melts in your mouth. I like to use a mixture of cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmental as well as Brie and then I sprinkle grated cheese over the top of the dish before serving. Served with a lightly chilled white wine, cheese soufflé has to be the best dish in the world and although some people think it is difficult to prepare to get it absolutely right, the effort is definitely worth it.

2 Savoyarde Cheese Fondue

Now if you are looking for a dish that is warming, nourishing and extremely fun to eat, especially if you have a few friends around for supper, then Savoyarde Cheese Fondue is the perfect dish for you. With cheeses like Comté, Beaufort or Emmental and white wine, this super rich fondue with chunks of crusty bread dipped into it, is mouth wateringly good. When I prepare this dish it is a great occasion which the whole family really enjoys. It is a very social meal where everyone sits around the table dipping their bread into the fondue pot. I like to serve a very chilled dry white wine with cheese fondue, absolutely delicious!

I love the winter time because it makes me think of all these lovely warming dishes. Do you have any favorite ones that you like to prepare when the weather is cold outside? I like to have a piping hot meal on the table and be able to look out of the window from the warmth of the dining room because it really does make me feel so good.

I love preparing a cheeseboard for a dinner party and I particularly like shopping around for the best cheeses for the occasion and I especially like to discover the ones that are less well known so that my guests can taste them. Here are just a few of them which I highly recommend you try too.

1 Carre de l’Est- le Camembert Alsacien

This is a truly deliciously creamy cheese which is slightly salty in taste. If you find it then I recommend that you keep it out of the fridge so that it really gets a chance to become very runny indeed. Camembert should be eaten very runny and you will notice that the taste actually improves the runnier it is.

2 Pont-l’Eveque

This is a cheese that comes from the region of Normandy. It is very creamy and has a rather strong flavor to it. It is a wonderful cheese to eat with apples and a good glass of top quality cider. A wonderful addition to a cheeseboard at a dinner party served with hot crusty French bread.

3 Chabichou

This is a delightful cheese which is wrapped in wax. It is creamy but with a firm texture and has a slightly nutty flavor. It is made from goats’ milk and if you ever discover this cheese in a shop then I suggest you buy it and add it to your list of cheeseboard specials for a dinner party. Served with a chilled dry wine or even a sweet one as well as a fruity red wine, this cheese is simply delicious.

4 Pyramide

This is one on my favorite goat cheeses. Not only is it delicious but it adds depth to a cheeseboard and its’ lovely white color really stands out. This is a speciality of Valence and is made of goats’ milk. Served with a sweet white wine or a fruity red wine and lots of lovely hot crusty French bread this is a truly delicious addition to any cheeseboard.

If you have discovered a creamy French cheese recently, I would love to hear your opinion on it. Like me do you love to try out different ones to see which would be good to include on a cheeseboard? There are masses of French cheeses to choose from and finding new ones is always a delight.

There is no doubt the French take their food very seriously and when it comes to cheeses this is just as true. ‘Les Huits Familles de Fromage’ means the ‘eight families of cheese’  but in actual fact there is a French cheese for every day of the year and then more. With 400 types of cheeses, it could be said the French are truly spoilt for choice. The most famous are le Camembert, le Brie and le Roquefort but there are some lesser known cheeses which really should be tasted so you understand what a superb selection there truly is. Below is a list of 8 French cheeses that you have to try:

1. Le Fromage St. Paulin

This wonderfully creamy cheese was once only produced in French monasteries but today it is produced in the Pas de Calais region of Northern France. It is a lovely creamy cheese produced from cows’ milk. A must have addition to any cheeseboard.

2 Le Fromage Pont L’Eveque

This delightfully flavored semisoft cheese is a specialty from Normandy. It is a strong smelling cheese that goes superbly with a robust red wine. In France Pont L’Eveque is seen as an excellent dessert cheese and is a firm favorite on cheeseboards. Pont L’eveque is a cheese that has to be eaten at room temperature to appreciate its unique flavor.

3. Bleu d’Auvergne

If you like Roquefort, you will love Bleu d’Auvergne, it much less sharp in flavor. It is also a lot creamier because it made out of cows’ milk whereas Roquefort is made from sheep’s. This lovely blue veined cheese is delicious with salads. It adds a tang to the crisp freshness of salad ingredients.

4. Le Fromage Coulommiers

This superb wheel of creamy cheese is made from the richest cows’ milk. This is another French cheese which has an edible rind and has to be eaten at room temperature. Coulommiers has a great heritage. It is the ancestor of all Brie cheeses, which are known the world over.

5. Le Fromage Epoisses

Epoisses has got to be one of the greatest cheeses on the planet. It has a rather pungent aroma and is deliciously rich and creamy. Epoisses is a traditionally made French cheese which is quite literally ‘handcrafted’ to perfection, once it has been cured in humid cellars for 4 weeks, it is rinsed with Marc de Bourgogne (a liqueur which is a by-product of the local wine industry).

6. Le Delice du Jura

Le Delice du Jura is a creamy cheese which has a delicious nutty after taste mixed with a delicate herb aroma. If you ever find this cheese you have to grab it and savor its’ delicate flavor as it is quite a rare cheese to find outside of France.

7. Brillat Savarin

This has got to be one of the richest French cheeses ever made. This wonderful Normandy delight is an absolute must for desserts such as ripe fruits and of course ‘un bout de pain’ such as the famous baguette.

8. Petit Sapin – Vacherin Mont d’Or Type

A favorite cheese of Louis XV, this is an exceptionally creamy smooth cheese that is made in the shape of a wheel. Many French people simply cut the top off the wheel and spoon the cheese out of it. Petit Sapin is wrapped is an aromatic strip of spruce bark which all adds to the delicious flavor of this wonderful cheese.

French cheese have grown quite popular these days. Some use it as an ingredient of a favorite dish, others put it in their favorite bread, while others still eat it as it is along with a glass of red wine. However, there are some people who just find it hard to choose that perfect round of Camembert or Brie; or know where to get it. Well, I am no expert but here are seven tips that might help you get that favorite French cheese you want to buy on your next trip to the market.

1. Know what’s in season

As I might have mentioned before, among the most important aspects of French cuisine is the ready availability of ingredients. It is the same with cheeses. Experts say that some cheeses are best during particular seasons. For instance, Camembert is best during spring while Beaufort is tastiest in autumn. Remember, dishes in French cuisine are often seasonal; the same thing goes for French cheeses.

2. Buy from specialist shops

As with most things, it is best to get them from the experts. More often than not, specialist cheese shops or fromageries get their cheeses only from the best cheese makers. They very rarely get their products from factories that mass produce cheese. In fact, most specialist cheese shops actually only buy from small farms that make one particular kind of gourmet cheese. This means that specialist cheese shops would most likely have the best, or near that level of quality, brands of each type of French cheese. However, there is a downside to this. Most products from specialist shops are more expensive than those sold in supermarkets. So you have to decide which one’s more important to you, quality or affordability.

Roquefort is a delectable ewe’s-milk blue cheese from the South of France, and is one of the most famous of all French cheeses. In accordance with the European law, only those cheeses aged in the natural Cambalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon have a right to be named “Roquefort”, this is why when you buy this cheese you can be absolutely sure in its authenticity and the highest quality.

Legend states that Roquefort was first discovered by a young shepherd, who left a piece of fresh ewes’ milk cheese in a cave. When he returned a few months later, the cave mold had transformed his plain cheese into wonderful Roquefort. True or not, but in France, Roquefort was honoured with a royal patent already in the thirteenth century. In the medieval times, this pungent blue cheese was believed to have aphrodisiac qualities, the fact which even was noted by the world’s famous lover – Casanova.

Roquefort is always made from fresh, unpasteurized milk of the Lacaune breed of sheep and has a white, crumbly and slightly moist texture with veins of blue mold (Penicillium roqueforti). Roquefort has no rind. An average head of this cheese is about 5 pounds, which requires 4-5 times the amount of fresh milk (about 13 litres!) in order to produce one head. After 4 to 9 months of aging, all vitamins and enzymes of the milk remain intact in Roquefort – it is very high in fat, protein, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, especially calcium. Its odour is strong and has a notable hint of butyric acid, the taste is rich and smooth with a sharp, astringent tang. The overall flavour sensation begins slightly mild, then turns into sweet and smoky, and fades to a prominent salty finish. The cheese fully exhibits its rich flavour if combined with red wine from Burgundy.

More information about Roquefort in English can be found at:

Roquefort Societe
French Cheese Guide
Recipes with Roquefort