Morbier is a pressed French cheese with a distinctive layer of ash running through the middle. It is made from cow’s milk and has a mild, nutty flavour and a creamy texture. In this blog post, we will explore the origins, production methods, flavour and pairings for Morbier.

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The Original American Original

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Made by people, not machines

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The traditional recipe for Morbier

Morbier is a French semi-hard cheese with a signature layer of ash that originates from the Jura and Doubs regions.

Back in the day, local farmers began making this type of cheese in the winter months when they did not have enough milk to make Comté. They would make a small 4-5kg cheese in the evening and cover it with ash for protection overnight.

In the morning, they would make a second identical cheese. Once the curd is set, they would place it on top of the layer of ash before the whole wheel is pressed.

Made from a single milking batch

Fermier is a Morbier-style cheese made using Victorian organic cow’s milk.

L’Artisan Organic make Fermier at their brand new cheesemaking facility in Mortlake, Victoria. Actually, Matthieu Megard and his talented team use organic milk from a single milking batch, as is the case for most modern Morbiers.

A line of vegetable ash

Moreover, they add a line of charcoal made from vegetable ash through the centre of every wheel. Afterwards, each wheel is then pressed in cloth, hand salted and washed in brine during the maturation process.

At 6 weeks, the cheese develops a sticky, orange rind which envelopes a dense, buttery pâte. Overall, it has a well-rounded flavour with a nutty, earthy finish.

How to serve Fermier

Fermier excels both as a table cheese and a melting cheese. Pair with a semi-sweet Gewürztraminer.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading this post about yet another amazing artisanal cheese. Have you tried this cheese before? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts.

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Finally, keep scrolling to find some more cheeses and recipes that have been recommended for you. Keep it cheesy!

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Crafted in the Loire Valley

Rond du Cher is a soft goat’s milk cheese originating from Sologne in France’s Loire Valley. Effectively, local cheesemakers use a recipe that is based on a traditional Lorraine cheese, the Selles-sur-Cher.

Selles-sur-Cher is a raw milk cheese made in the Cher Valley using local goat’s milk. The rich soil in the valley produces a sweet hay that influences the flavour of the local milk. As a result, the cheese that is made in the area tends to have a natural sweetness.

The pasteurised version

With regulations currently in place in Australia regarding raw milk, we do not have access to the traditional Selles-sur-Cher. Instead, we have a pasteurised version of the cheese called the Rond du Cher made by Fromagerie Jacquin.

As a matter of fact, cheesemakers in Sologne adapt the recipe for Selles-sur-Cher to use pasteurised milk. Initially, they hand-ladle the formed curds into circular moulds to ensure a smooth texture. Then, the cheesemaker coats the young cheese in a mixture of salt and vegetable ash.

At 3 weeks, it develops a downy grey rind with the occasional blue patch and a pristine white pâte. It has a mild goaty aroma and is sweet and nutty on the palate.

How to pair Rond du Cher

Enjoy this delicate but complex cheese with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

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Inspired by Will Studd

Woombye Cheese Company founders Karen and Graeme Paynter were living in Singapore when the idea of making cheese first dawned on them. Fondly, Karen recalls the moment Graeme suggested ditching his career in corporate marketing to become a cheesemaker.

“We were watching Will Studd Cheese Slices on TV, and that particular episode was of this lady in Ireland making cheese in this little tiny stone shed out the back of her house,”

Subsequently, one thing quickly led to another and the work-from-home corporate lawyer soon found herself on a property in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Cheesemaker from New Zealand

Tellingly, they brought in an experienced cheesemaker from New Zealand called Stefan Wilson to lead their small team. 

Every week, he transforms 5,000 litres of high quality hinterland milk into curd and pours them into moulds. Moreover, their team painstakingly turns each cheese daily to allow for a uniform texture.

Each soft cheese spends up to 10 days in the maturing rooms before they are wrapped and packed for delivery Australia-wide.

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Made on an idyllic farm

La Ferme de la Tremblaye is an idyllic farm that is located in Rambouillet, a commune in the Yvelines department, some 45km South-West of Paris. Some 100 cows and 700 goats, as well as a tiny farmhouse cheesemaking facility, call it home.

First established just over 50 years ago, the farm now makes more than 30 different cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses. One of those is a unique blue cheese.

Rambouillet’s Blue

Persillé de Rambouillet (which translates to Rambouillet’s Blue Cheese in English) is a semi-soft blue cheese made using the farm’s pasteurised goat’s milk.

Underneath an elegant ash coated rind lies an incredibly creamy and smooth white pâte with a beautiful marbling of blue veins.

Overall, this cheese perfectly balances the traits of goat’s milk with blue mould. The aroma is strong and very “blue”. Furthermore, on the palate, it is salty and tangy and packs quite a punch.

How to pair Persillé de Rambouillet

Enjoy this robust blue with something sweet. We recommend cherries and figs. Wash it all down with a glass sweet Riesling or Moscato.

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About Black Pearl

Black Pearl is a soft goat’s milk cheese made by Boatshed Cheese in Victoria, Australia. Tamara Newing established Boatshed Cheese in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula.

For the most part, Tamara launched herself into her passion as a way of dealing with the tragic loss of her youngest son. Moreover, she named her new venture after its original home, the family’s boat shed.

Inspired by Provence cheeses

Effectively, the inspiration for Boatshed Cheese comes from Tamara’s time in Provence. When she moved to the Mornington Peninsula, she fell in love with the local goat’s milk is. In fact, that inspired her to start making her own version of Provençal chèvre.

Actually, this wrinkly cheese dusted in vine ash is Boatshed’s signature cheese. Since Tamara shapes every single cheese by hand, you won’t find two of them that are the same.

On the inside, the pristine white pâte is fresh and mild when young. However, it develops more robust flavours and a spectacular ooze as it matures.

Pairing guide

Serve at room temperature with an earthy Malbec. Add in a juicy pomegranate and some pistachios to elevate the cheese’s flavours.

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