Today, Laguiole is made in three different départements: Aveyron, Cantal and Lozère by the coopérative Jeune Montagne. They are the only ones who are licensed to produce this cheese. With a 45% fat content, Laguiole has a pressed, uncooked paste made exclusively from raw, unpasteurized French Simmental or Aubrac cow’s milk collected between May and October at more than 800m altitude. 666 tonnes were produced in 1998 (-9.14% since 1996) from 20,000 – 30,000 litres of milk furnished from 79 different farms.

The Tome weighs 40-50kg and is distinguished by a bull sign and its name stamped on the rind, as well as by an aluminum identification plaque. Its production process starts with renneting before the curd is pressed in two consecutive stages. Maturing takes at least six months and may be as long as twelve months. The rind is natural and thick, the straw-colored paste supple and firm, and the texture rich and creamy. Recommended wines: Fruity red wines such as the Marcillac, Cahors or Etraygues.

Oka cheese has a pungent aroma and soft creamy flavour, sometimes described as nutty and fruity. Oka is covered with a copper-orange, hand-washed rind. The consistent high-quality of care lavished on this distinctively fragrant cheese options it as an excellent substitute for many semi-soft ripened cheeses in any dish — or as a component on cheese platters.

There are four types of Oka cheese, regular, classic, light and providence. ‘Regular’ Oka can be made from both pasteurized and raw cow’s milk. It is a pressed, semi-soft cheese that is surface ripened for some 30 days. The ‘Classic’ is ripened for an additional month. Aging is done in refrigerated aging cellars. The cheese rounds are placed on cypress slats and the cheeses are periodically turned and washed in a weak brine solution. ‘Providence’ Oka is of a much more creamy and soft texture then either ‘Classic’ or ‘Regular, while ‘Light’ is similar to ‘Regular’, but with a lower percentage of fat.

Oka cheese was heavily influenced by the work of the monks of the Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac (fr. Abbaye Cistercienne d’Oka). Within a few years, through an affiliation with the Université de Montréal, the monastery created an agricultural school. Frequently called the Abbaye Notre-Dame-du-Lac, the Trappist monastery became well known for its Port-Salut cheese, made from a Breton recipe brought with them from France.

Gruyère is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming with age more assertive, earthy, and complex. When fully aged (five months to a year) it tends to have small holes and cracks which impart a slightly grainy mouthfeel. To make an 80 kg (176 lb.) round of Gruyère cheese, about 800 litres (211 gallons) of milk are used.

Gruyère is generally known as one of the finest cheeses for baking, having a distinctive but not overpowering taste. In quiche, gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese, particularly suited for fondues, along with Vacherin and emmental. It is also traditionally used in French onion soup, as well as in croque monsieur, a classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Gruyere is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu. It is a fine table cheese, and when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas. It is used, grated, atop le tourin, a type of garlic soup from France which is served on dried bread. White wines, such as riesling, pair well with gruyère. Sparkling apple cider and Bock beer are also beverage affinities.

To make Gruyère, raw milk is heated to 34 °C (93 °F) in a copper vat, and then curdled by the addition of liquid rennet. The curd is cut up into pieces the size of a grain of rice and stirred, releasing whey. The curd is cooked at 43 °C (109 °F), and raised quickly to 54 °C (129 °F). The pieces shrivel up, and the mixture is placed in molds to be pressed. After salting in brine, the cheese is ripened for two months at room temperature, generally on wooden boards. Gruyère can be cured for 3 to 10 months, with long curing producing a cheese of intense flavour.

The legend of Chabichou goes back to 732, at the time of the defeat of the Saracens in the area, in the 8th century, after the Battle of Poitiers. Many of them left the area but some settled there with their families and, in particular, their goat herds. The countryside was appropriate for grazing the “poor man’s cow”, as the pastures were excellent. The cheese was then named cheblis (“goat”, in Arabic), which would become “chabichou” thereafter. However, the domestication of the goat in this area is supposed to date back to Roman colonization, and extends up to the present.

Chabichou du Poitou, made exclusively in the Poitou-Charentes region, acquired its AOC status in 1990 with the assistance of the efforts of Ségolène Royal. It is known for its characteristic label. Its production rose to 555 tons in 2003. Since 1782, Chabichou du Poitou has been mentioned in the French “Guide du voyageur à Poitiers et aux environs”. When regional wine production slowed in the late 1800s due to the European phylloxera crisis, production of Chabichou increased; production increased again with the development of the cooperative dairies (1906 in Bougon).

The AOC production zone is limited to an area south of Haut-Poitou: the south of Vienne, the Deux-Sèvres and the north of the Charente.

Some people prefer to eat this cheese with more age when it becomes stronger in taste and consistency.

Durrus is a round, semi-soft cheese. It has a pale interior with a pinkish, yellow-gray rind. It is aged for 3 to 5 weeks to allow the flavour to mature. It has a mild and creamy taste that becomes stronger and fruitier as it ages. The odour is mild to strong, depending on age. Durrus should be served at room temperature, and is best with fruit (especially pears), toast, and in fondue.

Durrus has won many awards from competitions such as the IFEX International Cheese Awards, the World Cheese Awards, and the British Cheese Awards. In 2005, it won the IFEX Irish Farmhouse Cheese Maker of the Year award.

Camembert is made from unpasteurised cows’ milk, and is ripened by the moulds Penicillium candidum and Penicillium camemberti for at least three weeks. It is produced in small rounds, about 350 grams (around 12 oz) in weight, which are then typically wrapped in paper and packaged in thin wooden boxes.

Although traditionally made only with unpasteurised milk, many countries today heavily restrict the production and sale of unpasteurised dairy products. In these countries, most or all cheeses sold as “Camembert” are actually made with pasteurised milk. Many gourmets consider these cheeses not to be “true” Camemberts. The AOC variety “Camembert de Normandie”, is required by law to be made only with unpasteurised milk.

When fresh, it is quite crumbly and relatively hard, but characteristically ripens and becomes softer and strongly flavoured as it ages. Camembert can be used in many dishes, but is also popularly eaten uncooked on bread or with wine or meat, to enjoy the subtle flavour and texture which does not survive heating. It is usually served at room temperature.

Camembert was reputedly invented in 1791 by Marie Harel, a farmer from Normandy, thanks to advice from a priest who came from Brie. However, the origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialization of the cheese-making process at the end of the 19th century. In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel invented the wooden box which was used to carry the cheese and helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today.

Before fungi were properly understood, the colour of Camembert rind was a matter of chance, most commonly blue-grey, with brown spots. From the early 20th century onwards, the rind has been more commonly pure white, but it was not until the mid-1970s that pure white became standard. The cheese was famously issued to French troops during World War II, becoming firmly fixed in French popular culture as a result. It has many other roles in French culture, literature and history. It is now internationally known, and many local varieties are made around the world.

Dovedale Blue is a cheese from the Peak District of Great Britain. It takes its name from a part of the River Dove on the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border known as Dovedale.Dovedale Blue is a full-fat semi-soft blue-veined cheese made from cow’s milk. Produced only in the village of Hartington in Derbyshire, it has a creamy texture and a relatively mild flavour for a blue cheese; unusually for British cheeses, it is brine-dipped instead of being dry-salted.