VanMan&PackMan20 April 2023

I went to France last week and I wanted to go and buy some Epoisses cheese from the place where it is actually made – yes, the village of Epoisses!

For such a renowed and famous cheese there is actually very little in Epoisses to indicate that it is the world centre for Epoisses cheese, just a couple of unassuming signs for Fromagerie Berthaud as you drive in to what is really quite a small village

It is well worth taking the time for a little drive (or even better, a walk) around the village before you go to the Fromagerie. The chateau is quite stunning, and of course you have to stop and take a photo of the iconic turret in the chateau walls (used as the logo for Fromagerie Berthaut).

We were lucky, it had stopped raining by the time we got to Epoisses and the sun was showing signs of coming out from behind the clouds for brief periods.

The Berthaut Fromagerie shop is located pretty much at the centre of the village in a short walking distance of everything. Be aware that the shop does close for lunch for an hour. It is quite a small affair and fits only a couple of people inside.

Depending on who is serving in the shop they may or may not speak English, but they do have a card in English explaining the different cheeses they sell. There is a variety of sizes available for the Epoisses cheese ranging from mini single portions (€1.50) to a huge platter of cheese. they also have tarts made with Epoisses cheese and they sell other goodies as well. I only bought the Epoisses cheese though. The shop does take card payments for their products.

The Cheese

So, on to the cheese. The first thing you need to be aware of is that it smells! If you leave it in the fridge you get a wonderful aroma of rotting socks when you next open the fridge door! It wafts out and envelops the room. A very good sign the cheese is becoming ripe enough to eat.

To eat the cheese you MUST leave it at room temperature for a good couple of hours. It needs to be soft and gooey when you eat it.

For such a smelly cheese you might imagine that it has a very strong flavour when you eat it. But Epoisses has a mild, subtle taste.
It is silky and creamy, oozing it’s flavour on to the plate. How do you eat it? Well however you want – spoon it on to French bread. Spoon it directly in to your mouth – do whatever is the best method for you. Purists may complain, but I have even tried it on toast – I love Epoisses on toast!

Van Man Says:
I love it. Can’t get enough – could eat it all day long. A very versatile cheese – have it your way on or with anything really.

Our Guest Reviewer – Manager Man Says:
F**king Marvellous

Berthaut Fromagerie don’t seem to have a website as such, but they do have a page on a French cheese site where you can see all the cheeses they make and some recipes for the cheeses – worth a look at: you can go to the page HERE