This past week the terrible suspense is over and the winners of this year's Meilleurs Ouvriers fromages (the Best Cheesesellers) have been announced. The result of 3 nerve-shattering months' suspense, the agony of the last two tests – a blind tasting session and a tough oral, which took place at the Lycée Hôtelier of Chamalières, near Clermont Ferrand.
The members of the jury had a list of 9 boxes and 9 numbers to appraise each of the candidates.
And having reviewed the score table, they decided that 4 competitors led the pack, anonymity was set aside and the result was announced.
The 4 new MOF fromages who join the 16 already appointed are (in alphabetical order)
The 5 finalists who were eliminated were however not without merit! The scores were very close and their great disappointment was clear. Let me share with you what I said to them: when you have a red, white and blue decoration around your collar, you get a lot of "friends" – good ones and bad. They will know today who are their true friends... those who will carry on looking them up... And it's not because they did not win one of these famous collars that their produce has become mediocre, nor their cheeses poor...
In fact, give a thought for these good folk who today or tomorrow find themselves in front of their customers and are likely to be asked a thousand times: "so, how did you get on?"
Christelle, Jean-Charles, Vincent, Marc, Théophane ... your good friends give you a warm hug!
Dominique, Pierre, François and François ... bravo to you all, and may you proudly exercise your profession.
Launched in France a couple of weeks ago, here's something new from the editions LVA - you can check out their website. A bi-monthly magazine well presented with many cheesy recipes (including a whole series using parsley pasta), an article on Auvergne cheeses, another about Tête de Moine – I won't go on, there's lots more.
In brief, a good read. I'm always delighted when people launch this sort of magazine – it's for the long haul. So I'll just say "Tout de Bon" as our Swiss friends would
It's called "SIREST Ideas" and it's aimed at professionals in the "out-of-home" restaurant business which alternates with the SIRHA show, but in Paris instead of Lyon.
Under the direction of Joël Robuchon, it will take place this year at Villepinte (near Charles de Gaulle airport) and no longer at the Porte de Versailles. There's more space – so more people.
On the programme: Finger Food, New ideas for my lunch box, The French Selection of the Bocuse d'Or, the international selection for the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. The French Open for desserts, a young French Talent competition and in partnership with the Le Chef magazine: Le Festival de la Créativité Gastronomique.
More info on the www.sirest.com website.
It's the second time round and its name has slightly changed … and its "Swiss cheese bar" has become a little more culinary. But still at the same address:
From 7-14 November at 38 rue Quincampoix in the 4th arrondissement of Paris;
And on the web you can reserve a place in some appetizing workshops… one in particular I recommend as it is run by a great, very friendly woman named Laetitia Gaborit,
with a very appropriate title 'The Cheese Fairy" – which in fact takes place on Tuesday 10th November at 1830 – and I'm sorry not to be able to be there myself.
But let me know how it goes. I'm sure you'll pick up a lot of appetizing tips…
Again this year – the 15th consecutive year, so it's worth celebrating! - The Festival of AOC/AOP products of Normandy will take place in Cambremer, the first weekend in May.
Yes, it's well worth meeting up in this charming town in the Pays d'Auge, in the midst of its apple trees in blossom! Italy will be the guest of honour, so we shall be able to savour together some delightful things but hush! I'd better stop there … other than telling you that you can participate in some tasting workshops which I am running or that you can sign up for some "gourmand" outings, discover new French AOC/AOP cheeses such as Munster, Brie de Meaux, blue cheeses from Vercors Sassenage and Bleu des Causses and also listen to the wisdom of two cheese masters from 2007: Xavier Thuret and Cyrille Lohro.
Go on then, it's time to make your bookings for hotels or B&B!!
Here we go! The biggest farm in the world opened yesterday in Paris for 9 days… So here are some snapshots to tempt you to come along…..
French regional attractions …Mayenne – Lorraine – Gaillac – Rhône (with its sculptures of fruit) 6 Auvergne
Here’s the Switzerland stand where you’ll find me…
And a dunce’s cap for whoever dreamed up this notice: Cows are feminine but Simmental never takes an “e” at the end.
I’m off to the Concours Général Agricole – the main agricultural contest – and look forward to a good week ahead!
It’s back again – the biggest farm in the
whole of Europe will be opening its doors tomorrow at the Porte de Versailles
in Paris for 10
days… for full details in English, go to the Salon website... and you can enter for free if you're not French (all you need is to show your passport or a non-french ID card!
And you’ll find me every afternoon on the Swiss stand – Hall 3 - Allée P – Stand 14, where I’ll be running workshops for
children, and also on Saturday 28th on the events stage in Hall 3,
devoted that day to Switzerland
Also don’t forget that the Concours Général Agricole competition for cheeses will take place on Monday 23rd February. Watch this site for the results.
And if you read French, there’s an article from the Sud Ouest newspaper describing the trials and tribulations of a producer of Périgord walnut tomme cheese in preparing for the Concours Général.
12 teams : Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, UK and USA
So who’ll take over the top spot from Rodolphe
Le Meunier and Bernard Mure-Ravaud, the French team trophy winners in 2007?
More info to be found on the caseus
award site or at the Salon International Eurexpo in Lyon
Times for holidays... See you next year !!
Picture taken in a tiny village in Lorraine...
A week or so ago I came across in the
entrance of a pharmaceutical company, this recent work of art whose creator I
have been unable to discover.
This week-end, there’s a new Salon
Saveurs (a “Tastes Good” Show) at the Espace Champeret in NW Paris, full of
good things to stock up on in time for the year-end festivities!!
Lorraine
An exhibition in Paris
This picture is from the Ville de Paris website, where you can find out all about the exhibition as it traces how the myth of the goodness and the heroes of the French countryside have been illustrated across the ages.
Bibliothèque Forney
1 rue du Figuier
Paris 4e
Tel: 01 42 78 14 60
Until
3 Jan 2009 – closed 11 November, 25 December and 1st January
Tuesday
to Saturday 13.00 to 19.00
Entry:
4 euros / 2 euros (reductions)
The British Cheese Festival took place in
style in Cardiff
A feature article in last Saturday’s
Guardian newspaper celebrated Britain
More details on the thecheeseweb.com website or for the article, visit the Guardian website here or and type “cheese” into the search box. Scroll down to articles dated September 27th and click on “Around Britain with a fork”.
14th July.... nothing move in France, except the military parade !!
Have a nice summer day !
I made a quick stop at the Cabasses stand
to discover their new oval cheese – Lou Sotch and admire the traditional little
ewes in its presentation.
Next I made room for a seaside cheese –
made in Pornic by a traditional cheese factory which produces Curé Nantais.
This cheese contains 3 types of seaweed and is a sell out in Japan.It does
not taste like the sea, like some seaweed butters do, but has a slightly acid
taste which puzzles me a little…
I spent a morning with François Durand,
the only dairy producer of Camembert AOC in Camembert itself (in the
Orne department). Don’t miss la Ferme de la Héronnière if ever you pay a visit
to this symbolic village with its eponymous cheese. Its mayor M. Gaubert has
been a “milk producer” i.e. a milk farmer for a long time.
It was indeed a pleasure to see F. Durand again after some 10 years. His camembert was lovely and ripe … a real feast with a cider also from the Camembert area, a Pays d’Auge AOC from M. Aguinet!
And don’t you just love this beautiful cow from the General Council of the Orne? You can just hear her saying “Youuuu must come sooooooon to the Ooooooorne!”
Alain Bersier and David Hugler, two Swiss
inventors from the Vaux, who having lived for several years in Canada, decided
on returning home to transform the apples of Alain’s grandfather into “apple
wine” or to be more precise “syrupy apple cider”… what Canadians refer to as “cidre
de glace (ice cider). With a level of 12.5°, this liqueur is made by
concentrating apple juice through cryogenisation (extreme cold). Two kilos of
apples are needed to produce a small half bottle (37.5cl). Just try it with a
mild blue cheese (Fourme d’Ambert), a
On cheeses, it is not possible to find exactly the same product on sale throughout the year and when you give a medal to the producer more than to the cheese itself.
The challenge is therefore different for a
wine: the winning product can head for the retail trade month after month
consistently, so the medal it receives is a considerable help in its sale. This
leaves you with just one question: how do you judge the aging of the wine over
time?
The different wines we judged (14 in all)
were all 2007 vintage, so only recently bottled and therefore still subject to
a light fermentation (through the presence of residual gases, for example)
The competition judges were composed half by
trade professionals and half by “ordinary but enlightened “consumers … but it’s
not obvious they would be speaking the same language. And yet, an agreement on
the contestants was reached very quickly. No medals this year for M. Vosgien, but as far as the Côtes de Meuse
wines are concerned, I am pleased to note that M. Antoine of the Domaine de la
Goulotte in
As it’s their show, here are some photos of happy animals…
I headed for the presentation ring on the
first day where there were about 10 Swiss Herens – some a little edgy but not
aggressive. But I can assure you that there were plenty of animals there which
were not stressed in the slightest.
Later, passing through Hall no.1, I was
able to admire some fine horned specimens, a Salers and her calf, another
Herens, and others – not forgetting the big Buddha cow with milk jets spraying
out from its teats! (French dairy association)
After greeting friends on numerous stands,
I had a most extraordinary experience – a real “blind” product tasting session,
organised by some young blind people, all in great spirits. I often begin my
own cheese and drink tasting sessions with wines etc in black glasses to
disguise colour and appearance, but in total darkness, it’s that much more
difficult to identify what you are consuming. I won’t say more – except that it
was a very worthwhile experience. Just imagine, I too got it lamentably “wrong”
in my judgement of the cheeses I was given to taste. (Just beat that!) It makes
me more indulgent towards those wine professionals who were tricked by the
Pharmacy Faculty in Montpellier during a tasting session they organised with a white wine which had been
“doctored” by adding a neutral red food colorant!
I could not leave this hall without saying hello to my Roquefort friends, together with their Lacaune ewes and then moving on to the swiss stand to talk about the tour of the Emmentaler cheese area being launched this year and after that, on to chat with a Corsican cheese producer. Let me tell you ind etail about them - the Pieraggi household is situed on the road to Pietroso in Ghisoni. A family business with its own flock of ewes, who also collect milk from other goat and ewes operations. Cheeses such as Brocciu and its crottins and tommettes... the pkace to head for if you are looking for tasty Corsican delights....
In the Courrier
International last week (10th Jan.), they referred to a study by a researcher in the
University of New South Wales in Australia showing that when a kangaroo breaks
wind it does not produce methane in contrast to the flatulence of cows and
other ruminants , thanks to bacteria which eliminate the build up of gas.
Yes indeed, for a number of years now we are being constantly told that cows’ wind is attacking the ozone level. A gross error! It’s their burps…as methane comes out of the mouths of these ruminants…
Well, all right, the result is the same. Although some English researchers have already studied the question and published in January 2006 their discovery of a food complement which is said to cause a 70% reduction in methane emissions (source: futura-sciences.com -in French). Also, some Canadians have studied the effects of foodstuffs in ruminants on their production of methane (source: bulletin of the French Embassy in Canadain French, too) which could help reduce their emission of noxious gases, while at the same time improving their meat production! Last year a German team developed a pill able to transform immediately the methane produced into energy for the cow, leading in addition to enhancing the production of milk (source: terra-economica.info).
We’re beginning to see the posters in the
This year’s theme: “Agriculture at the very
heart of our lives”
“L’agriculture
au coeur de la vie” means both its primary function which is to feed mankind, its role in
the concern for and the management of the land and finally a source of various
forms of life for various uses. Food, environment and non-food activities:
three challenges for the agriculture of tomorrow”. So says the press
handout of the organisation.
The cow-of-honour this year is a Rouge des
Prés, a breed originating in the Maine-Anjou region and which we know when it reaches
our plates as Maine-Anjou PDO meat (since 2004).The Rouge des Prés is a breed
that has existed for a century, a cross between a Mancelle and a Durham. The
Director of the UPRA is none other than Albéric Valais, of whom I’ve already
spoken, a member of the INAO.
If you want to look me up at the salon,
you’ll find me
- every afternoon on the Swiss stand – Hall 3 - Row J – Stand 37 – Worldwide delights, running workshops for children…
- Thursday morning on the stand
of the Conseil Général of the Orne – Hall 7.1 – Row U – Stand 34 – Regions of
France, with a debate on camembert + cider
- From time to time, on the stand of the PDO Cheeses of the Auvergne (website in English)– Hall 7.2 – Row C8 – Stand D7 – Regions of France
On July 23 last, the OFAG (the Federal
Agriculture Office) made the request for Swiss Gruyere AOC to be recognised on
the European AOP register (Appellations d’Origine Protégées).
The biggest farm in Europe opened its
doors (3rd March '07) and I’ve not had time for the moment to talk to you about
it.
- activities for children on the Swiss stand
- member of the jury for the Concours General Agricole
- presentation of the “Grand Dame with a Tender Heart
2007” on the Auvergne stand
- touring the stands to meet my cheese-maker friends
Let’s start with the Swiss stand where on Saturdays, Sundays and
Wednesday I am running the workshops for discovering Switzerland and its
cheeses for children aged between 6 and 10 with cheese tasting accompanied by
…apple juice…
There was a fantastic ambiance as usual on this stand with placed in the
middle, “the fondue pot” which was never empty, the production chalet where
each morning Constant makes Gruyère and the afternoon a Fribourg Vacherin (to
be exact as this is not in their PDO production zone, we’d better say a Gruyère
type cheese or a Fribourg Vacherin type cheese). On the side aisles there were
stands for tasting and buying cheeses, a wine bar run by my Vaudois friends,
the Kursners, Vaudois sausages… and
apples, as well as a superb entertainment for children with William Tell there
in flesh and blood!
To attract visitors into Hall 3, a team of players with their Alpine
horns was hired to visit the salon over the weekend… Very impressive! Here are
a few photos to whet your appetite…
The Concours Général Agricole for milk products (French Cheese Awards) took place this morning.
You can download the results here.
FranceI was delighted to learn that once again the Gold Medal in the Brie de
Meaux AOC/PDO category was awarded both by the Francejury and also by the Export
jury to the Dongé cheesemaker (55-Triconville)
What is an Export jury?
I have served for some years on this type of jury and it’s always a
pleasure to confront my opinion with experts from Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Japan etc... We do blind tests on the products, and I’ve just discovered for the
second year running I have awarded a gold medal to a cheese from the cheese
producer Delin (21-Gilly les Cîteaux) this year, which was a real feast.
Finally, on the Auvergne PDO Cheese stand, my friends from the Académie
de la Fourme d’Ambert (an academy is not a brotherhood, only active
professionals from the industry can take part) presented me with the trophy
shown here… I’ve not yet got hold of the pictures of this pleasant event, but I
promise I’ll put them on line as soon as possible.
Originally posted in French 5th March '07
Summer is a very pleasant season for
cheese: the animals are feeding on nice fresh grass, the milk is higher in
carotene, the cheeses are yellower… but the standardisation that is very often
applied to the start of the cheese chain hides the differences in fatty matter
between summer and winter, so it is sometimes quite difficult to notice a
difference between the seasons.
But summer is also the time to go in search
of small farm producers or production units where traditional cheeses are made.
I have already told you about the PDO
Cheese Road in the Auvergne
You can set off in search of the roads (in the plural) of the Comté, that of the Chabichou of Poitou, that of Ossau Iraty (their website is down at present… here is another website for information) … and then above all do not hesitate to make stops on your holiday itinerary to visit some of the small-scale cheesemakers (remember my note on La Laiterie du Col Bayard and its impressive cheese plate) or small farm producers, as for example in Forcalquier (04), la Ferme-Auberge du Bas-Chalus - phone 04 92 75 05 67, where the Goletto family will welcome you warmly.
NB: The picture illustrating this note is
taken from the latest ad campaign for the Lyria – the Franco-Swiss High Speed
Train which invites you to go looking for Swiss cows which, so this
advertisement says, even go water skiing on their lakes.
;-)))
originally posted in French 23rd July '07
Not to be missed … an important date on the
cheese calendar is this one, which takes place in Bra, just next to Torino
The 2007 event of “Cheese” will be without
doubt a good vintage, with the limelight this year given to blue cheeses.
Yet Bra DOP (=PDO) is not a “blue” but a
pressed paste made from the milk of cows, sheep or goats and produced from the
14th Century in the Piedmont region and has an Appelation d’Origine
since 1983. It is available in 3 varieties: “tenero”, ”duro” and alpine. You
can find out more about Italian DOP cheeses on a well explained website:
Cibo360.
Originally posted in French 20th July '07
In Summer, there are indeed numerous cheese festivals, an opportunity to go and meet the producers, to sample, to take your time to discover their traditions, their soil and their know-how.
So why not have fun and go in search of,
for example:
- Saint Nectaire AOC on July 21-22 at the Wine and Cheese fair in Besse
- Fourme d’Ambert AOC on 4-5 August in Ambert (63)
- Bleu
d’Auvergne AOC on 18-19 August in Riom-ès-Montagnes (15)
- Chambérat on
August 20 at Chambérat (03)
-
- Maroilles AOC on 15-16
September in La Capelle (02)
Or even:
- early September: the Wine and Cheese Fair at Langon (33)
- mid-September: the fair at Antony, near Paris (92)
Plus all those I’ve forgotten!!
So, do spend a good "cheesy" summer in France or elsewhere
Originally posted in French 18th July '07
A novelty for the beginning of summer: the
launch of a special “pregnancy and breast feeding” milk.
On Lactel’s website they underline that at this period of life, women have special nutritional needs and that Lactel Maman is enriched in
+ Folic Acid (Vit B9) and Omega 3, which share in the proper brain development of your baby
+ Calcium and Vitamin D which help maintain your bone structure and build the bones of your baby.
+ Magnesium, oligo-elements and vitamins.
Candia
Here in fact, this is a new target
segmentation for milk: for children (Eveil), for seniors (Jour après Jour - day after days), for
people under stress or weary (Magnesium), for those intolerant of lactose
(Matin Léger - light morning) for orientals (Milk Laban) – a marketing move not yet
undertaken by their great rival
Originally posted in French 13th July '07
Don't forget!! It's tomorrow and Sunday that the Open Days of the PDO of Cambremer take place ... so do all come along!! And take part in the tasting workshops on the fusion PDO Camembert-ciders (in the plural: which one will take your fancy?) as well as the discovery of PDO cheeses and some Swiss wines (Vaud, Tessin)
Originally posted in French by MMN 4th May 07
The Slow Food AGM
26-27 May 2007
The AGM of Slow Food France will take place in the Université des Senteurs et des Saveurs in Forcalquier (04) this week-end (26 & 27 May 07)
Some 40 delegates representing the 2000 active members in France will participate in the debates planned by the statutary assembly and will define the projects to be put in place in the months to come.
They will also take advantage of an extensive programme of additional meetings: meetings with local producers, a visit to the gardens of the Ethnological Museum of the Priory of Salagon, tasting sessions and exchanges. Friday 25th at 18.30 the head of Convivium Haute-Provence, Jean-Yves Royer will give a lecture: "Expertise of women in Alpine valleys: traditional recipes"
On the web : www.universite-saveurs-senteurs.com
More info: france@slowfood.fr
I cannot be there but I urge you to follow this AGM and to visit the Priory of Salagon which I discovered last July when I was giving a training session in "sensorial analysis" with the UESS of Forcalquier: a magnificent spot really worth a detour. Have a look at their website!
originally posted by MMN in French 24th May 07
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