Cheese stats: Soft-ish raw cows milk cheese from the alpine patches of Franch
Bought from: Mons
This rind’s ochre, orange and white, bumpy and mottled, with specks of a bright yellow mould. Inside the cheese is a pale cream colour – crumbling slightly towards the centre, moist and squishy further out.
The centre tastes sharp and tart, juicy and rich and full of fruity flavours; apples and apricots. It’s smooth and creamy, with a buttery texture, and it melts away to nothing in my mouth. Towards the rind it turns mushroomy – still with that creamy richness. The rind itself has a pungent grassy, earthy tang; straw (like the smell of freshly mixed henna), wet composty earth, and a touch of cowpat. All of it’s suffused with a gentle herbal taste, and the varying flavours and textures work really well together.
Conclusion: I wish I’d bought a bigger wedge of this!