From the Pays de Bray in Normandy, dates back to 11th century and achieved great popularity amongst Parisiens in the 19th century, when it was mentioned in the famous Almanach des Gourmandes.
Saint Nectaire
From the Auvergne in the south west. It was brought to the table of Louis XIV by the Marechal de Sennecterre. It has a slightly salty earthy flavour.
Meule de Savoie
Classic hard mountain cheese from Savoie with a mild fruity flavour similar to Emental.
Comte
From Franche-Comte, it is the biggest selling cheese in France, over 40% eat it every year with over 50,000 tonnes produced annually. It takes 530 litres of milk to make one 45kg wheel of cheese. Affinage is a minimum of 90 days. Comte is an AOC cheese with very strict grading, any that do not make the grade get sold as French Gruyere. It has a mild sweetness with a nuttiness around the rind.
Pont L’Evêque
Normandy’s second most famous cheese after Camembert. It takes 3 litres of milk to make one Pont L’eveque weighing around 3-400 grms. A 12th century document stated that every good dinner table would finish with a Pont L’eveque.
Created by 13th century monks and celebrated in the epic love poem ‘Roman de la Rose’, Pont L’Evêque is a soft, creamy cheese with subtle hints of salt and a sweet fruity tang. Its famous farmyard aroma, however, might be more of an acquired taste.
Made en carré (in a square) from cows’ milk in the Calvados region of Normandy, this smooth cheese is washed in brine as it matures within 5-6 weeks, which creates its distinctive golden rind.