Cheese library

Welcome to our on-line LA FROMAGERIE cheeseroom showcasing our farmhouse & artisanal cheeses. Due to seasonality of cheeses, and working with smaller producers, some of these cheeses are available in our shop only during certain times of the year, so please CONTACT us if you are looking for a particular cheese.

ROUELLE

Cheese , France , Goat , Goat's cheese

£14.30

ROUELLE

Tarn, Unpasteurised Goat’s Milk, Traditional Rennet

A fragile cheese when fresh & young, with a creamy floral tang becoming richer with ripening. In the shape of a wheel (circle with a hole in the middle), the top of the cheese is dusted with charcoal. Best season March to October.

Cheese , France , Goat , Goat's cheese

More About French Cheese

The story of LA FROMAGERIE begins with a wheel of BEAUFORT CHALET D'ALPAGE; 27 years later and with over 100 French cheeses in our library, France is still an excellent place to start exploring cheese. In France, more so than possibly anywhere else, the variety of terroir - that magical combination of local terrain, altitude, soil and climate - accounts for the great diversity of the cheese. Some French cheeses are only sold locally, and many have their own distinctive characteristics; for instance, some are wrapped in leaves, while others are thickly coated in herbs, or washed in brine or alcohol. The names of many cheeses tie them to and can indicate the village or particular hill or mountain where they are made. From the caves of Combalou to the Mountains of Savoie, learn about the connection between place and product as you explore our selection of cheese from this fantastic country.

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SAINT TOLA

Goat , Ireland

£0.00

SAINT TOLA

COUNTY CLARE, UNPASTEURISED, TRADITIONAL RENNET

Made from a herd of 300 goats composed of the breeds Saanen, Toggenburg and British Alpine. The farm is organic, the pastures rich with herbs and stippled with wildflowers throughout. This new version of the cheese is half the size and has a light dusting of charcoal on the surface. The ash and salt blend on the rind reduces the mould growth and allows for a slightly more delicate cheese than the original. This cheese has a close, tight texture with good citric acidity and a floral finish.

Goat , Ireland

More About Irish Cheese

Renowned for its high quality dairy, pristine grazing lands and clean air, coupled with a temperate climate, especially in the southern part of the country, Ireland is a natural destination for artisan cheesemaking. In fact, in traditional Irish culture, dairy cattle were seen as a measure of wealth and social standing and were often used as a form of currency. By the seventeenth century, however, oppressive English laws had effectively killed the Gaelic farm economy and with it, the traditional cheesemaking culture. Butter became the means by which small farmers paid rent, and also became sought after in international trade. It wasn't until the early 20th century that cheesemaking re-appeared, with slow growth until the 1970s when a greater number of farmhouse cheesemakers, especially focussed in the southwest part of the country, began experimenting. This style of small, hand-made production continues to be a defining feature in the diverse range and exceptional quality of Irish farmhouse cheeses. We recommend beginning with a few of our favourites: CASHEL BLUE, DURRUS and COOLEA.

SAINTE-MAURE DE TOURAINE

Cheese , France , Goat , Goat's cheese

£15.65

SAINTE-MAURE DE TOURAINE

Touraine, Indre et Loire, Unpasteurised Goat’s Milk, Traditional Rennet

Log shaped crumbly textured cheese with straw impaled for ease of handling. Fine close textured with a mild but rich flavour. The cheese is coated in an edible ash which draws out the sharpness of the milk & helps create a lovely mineral acidity.

Cheese , France , Goat , Goat's cheese

More About French Cheese

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SARIETTE DE BANON

France , Goat

£0.00

SARIETTE DE BANON

PROVENCE, THERMISED, TRADITIONAL RENNET

‘Cigarillos’ of small, fresh log-shaped cheeses on a flat wooden base. Topped with a sprig of fresh Sariette (Summer Savoury), the cheese can be eaten rindless and fresh or slightly matured. Young cheeses are bosky and lemony, however once the rind begins to develop the taste becomes tangy, and fruitier, with an almost medicinal edge. Best season is April through September.

France , Goat

More About French Cheese

SCAMORZA

Buffalo , Cheese , Hard , Italy

£11.00

SCAMORZA

Campania, Pasteurised Cow Milk

A stretched curd cheese, shaped as it is cooked in the traditional gourd. This is a handmade cheese, similar to Mozzarella, with a light fruity milky taste and hung over fresh oak chippings to smoke the rind into beautiful burnt sienna colour. The aroma is intensely smoky and the taste is light and earthy with the sweet oak flavours. Ideal for melting onto a pizza, with the smoke imparting a more aromatic complexity to a dish, or as an afternoon snack on crusty bread with prosciutto.

300g

Buffalo , Cheese , Hard , Italy

More About Italian Cheese

Though cheesemaking in Italy may date back to as early as 2800 BC, the unification of the country didn't occur until the 1860s and the individuality of the regions and the diversity among their cheese is still very strong in Italy today. With over four hundred distinct cheeses and thirty-one DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) zones, Italy is a fine example of the variety of time-honoured traditions in the cheesemaking process. Spanning from the foothills of the Alps in Piemonte to the alluvial soil of Etna in Sicily, we have over 50 Italian cheeses in our library. From MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA to RAGUSANO, from TALEGGIO DI VAL BREMBANA to GORGONZOLA NATURALE, there is much to offer in range of styles as well as textures and flavours.

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SCIMUDIN

Cow , Italy

£0.00

SCIMUDIN

LOMBARDY, UNPASTEURISED, TRADITIONAL RENNET

Delicate cow’s milk cheese in the style of Brie. The bloomy white rind houses a deliciously silky, smooth pate with a light nutty taste and a gentle mushroom aroma. Perfect as part of a cheeseboard selection from Northern Italy – with Asiago, Montasio, Robiola, and Gorgonzola – or on its own melted over Polenta.

Cow , Italy

More About Italian Cheese

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SEIRASS FRESCA

Italy , Sheep

£0.00

SEIRASS FRESCA

PIEDMONT, PASTEURISED, TRADITIONAL RENNET

A very fresh light-textured sheep's milk ricotta in a muslin sack. Its light frothy texture and gentle sweet nutty taste is ideal with fresh fruit or used as a filling for cheesecake. For savoury dishes it works wonderfully mixed with spring nettles or spinach as a stuffing for Cannelloni. Also lovely served cold with a sweetly earthy Moscato d'Asti.

Italy , Sheep

More About Italian Cheese

SELLES SUR CHER

Cheese , France , Goat , Picnic

£10.25

SELLES SUR CHER

LOIRE, UNPASTEURISED, TRADITIONAL RENNET

A small, close-textured disc coated in a dusting of charcoal ash, encouraging grey-blue moulds to form as it matures. The taste is similar to other cheeses of the region (notably the Sainte-Maure de Touraine, which is produced for us by the same cheesemaker), with floral notes that deepen into earthiness. The texture on the palate is silky, almost melting, with a persistent flavour that continues to develop long after the initial taste.

Cheese , France , Goat , Picnic

More About French Cheese

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SERRA DA ESTRELA

Portugal , Sheep

£0.00

SERRA DA ESTRELA

BEIRA, UNPASTEURISED, VEGETARIAN RENNET

An artisan-made mountain cheese coagulated with rennet extracted from the Cardoon plant (a wild thistle). This is not such a strange idea as the animals are grazing on pastures studded with wild herbs and flowers. The milk will separate into solid curds after about twenty minutes of exposure to the rennet, enough time for the plant to imbue its flavours – sharp, tangy, floral overtones give a delightful contrast to the smoothness of the curds. The rind is smooth and rubbed in oil before being wrapped in muslin to protect it from cracking, a practice we continue in our maturing rooms. Eaten in its younger stages with a spoon, after removing the upper rind, this mature version, though melting on the palate, can be sliced, and is markedly sharper and zestier.

Portugal , Sheep

More About Portuguese Cheese

Portugal is split by its major river, the Tagus, which creates a clear demarcation of the landscape as the northern terrain is mountainous where rivers course through the valleys, and the south features a rolling landscape of plains and hills and a hotter, drier climate. The summer weather in the mountainous areas is very arid and blazingly hot with the animals huddling under what trees or bushy shelter there is for shade. The islands of Azores and Madeira, however have a cooler microclimate with their position in the Atlantic, and they produce fine cheeses as well as the famous dessert wine. Additionally, in volcanic areas the soil composition where grazing occurs is rich in minerals, giving a really interesting structure to the milk. From the nuttiness of SÃO JORGE to the spiciness of EVORA, the cheeses of Portugal have their own distinct flavours and textures and are certainly worth exploring alongside a glass of the area's fortified wine.

SINODUN HILL

Cheese , Goat , Goat's cheese , Picnic , Uk

£14.75

SINODUN HILL

Wales, Pasteurised Goat’s Milk, Vegetarian Rennet

Made by Fraser Norton & Rachel Yarrow from their own herd of pedigree Anglo Nubian goats & additional milk from another local herd. In the shape of a truncated pyramid with a nutty geotrichum rind. The pate has a mellow tangy flavour, with faint citrus notes. Aged for 21 days at the farm, we like to age it a further week in our fridges, tightening the rind & adding deeper complexity to the flavours.

Cheese , Goat , Goat's cheese , Picnic , Uk

More About United Kingdom

In the 11th century the Norman Conquest had a major impact on life in Britain. It brought far-reaching changes, and it was during this period that the religious order of Jervalux monks came from Normandy and Flandres to Britain, bringing with them a tradition of sheep farming and cheesemaking (they are widely acknowledged as the original makers of Wensleydale cheese). Today there are hundreds of cheeses in the British Isles and we are in the midst of an exciting cheese movement that has not been seen since the Industrial Revolution. Britain may be small in comparison to other countries and continents, and we may not have the extremes in temperature to produce different styles of cheese, but we do have a vast amount of quality that is highly defined, and more and more in recent years, recognised as being worthy of greatness. From the earthy taste and fudgy texture of Innes Dairy's BOSWORTH ASH LOG to the buttery, nutty flavours of Welsh HAFOD, to newer cheeses such as BARON BIGOD and ROLLRIGHT, explore the wealth of cheeses from the British Isles.

SMOKED MONTGOMERY'S CHEDDAR

Cheese , Cow , Hard , Uk

£10.30

SMOKED MONTGOMERY'S CHEDDAR

North Cadbury, Somerset, Pasteurised Cow Milk

Smoked for six hours at the Brown & Forrest Smokery in one of their oak-smoking rooms, the result is an intensely smoky cheese. The rind takes on a rich sienna hue and the pate – which is inherently a light gold – deepens in tone. Best probably on its own, as the smokiness will overshadow other cheeses on a board, it pairs nicely with dark beers.

300g

Cheese , Cow , Hard , Uk

More About United Kingdom

SPENWOOD

Cheese , Hard , Sheep , Uk

From £14.60

SPENWOOD

Berkshire, Pasteurised Ewe’s Milk, Vegetarian Rennet

Made by Ann and Andy Wigmore in their small Berkshire cheesemaking facility. This is a lighter style 'pecorino' with a clean sweet taste highlighted by fresh young hazelnuts. A perfect cheese for dry white wines or even dry unoaked Chardonnay styles, which could also work so well with Champagne too. This natural rind cheese has been brined rather than dry salted, then pressed to give a supple smoother texture. A great crowd pleaser for everyone in to enjoy.

Cheese , Hard , Sheep , Uk

More About United Kingdom

ST HELENA

Cow , Uk

From £11.75

ST HELENA

BUNGAY, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND. UNPASTEURISED COW'S MILK. TRADITIONAL RENNET.

Blake Bowden has been working with Julie Cheyne at Whitewood Dairy since 2018 and developed this beautiful, delicate and approachable take on the Auvergne classic St. Nectaire. Using the raw milk from Fen Farm’s Montbéliarde cows and lightly washing the rind the gentle milky flavours ring true. The taste is mild, but so moreish offering fresh flower, grass, milky and creamy notes that lingers pleasantly. Uncooked and lightly pressed curds in the mould give this cheese a beautiful bouncy texture that is soft yet robust.

Cow , Uk

More About United Kingdom

ST JUDE

Cheese , Cow , Picnic , Soft , Soft cheese , Uk

£9.80

ST JUDE

Suffolk, Unpasteurised cow's milk, Traditional rennet

The milk is slowly & gently turned into curds with little intervention – simply lifting the curds & ladling into moulds, turning daily until ready for sale. The flavours of the pasture are intact giving the cheese an earthy richness becoming more evident as it ages.

Cheese , Cow , Picnic , Soft , Soft cheese , Uk

More About United Kingdom

STICHELTON

Cow , Uk

From £14.75

STICHELTON

WELLBECK ESTATE, NOTTINGHAM, UNPASTEURISED, TRADITIONAL RENNET

Joe Schneider is making his version of a very regional blue using milk from the estate and using very small quantities of starter and rennet. The slower process of hand-ladling the milk and the gentle maturation of two to three months before piercing instills the cheese with enormous complexity. It has a rich, dense and creamy paste and a delicately spiced blue, rather than an attack. Throughout the year the flavours can range from the sweet and vegetal to intensely meaty, with aromas like bacon fat. Tasting alongside the Colston Bassett Stilton you recognize this cheese has its own individual character and is not a Stilton, but a true original.

Cow , Uk

More About United Kingdom

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STINKING BISHOP

£0.00

STINKING BISHOP

DYMOCK, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, PASTEURISED, VEGETARIAN RENNET

Encircled with a lath of beechwood, this soft melting cheese is washed in a perry from a variety of pear called Stinking Bishop (hence the name). Four decades ago Charles Martell, the cheesemaker, revitalised the Old Gloucester breed of cow (which was critically endangered) by beginning production of this cheese, and it has become one of the most identifiable British cheeses. Compared with an Epoisses or Vacherin Mont d'Or, the flavour is less strong than the nose, which – with proper maturing – can become quite pungent. A real original.

More About United Kingdom

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stock and availability

The cheese library showcases many artisan cheeses stocked in our cheeserooms throughout the year. Some of these cheeses may be unavailable online but available to purchase from your local LA FROMAGERIE. Please contact marylebone@lafromagerie.co.uk for information on stock and availability