Our Christmas orders are now closed. You can still buy our Cheese Subscriptions to start in January, as well as book our courses and tasting events. If you want to purchase vouchers you can do so until the 20th December but please note that it can take up to 48 hours for the vouchers to be emailed to you as we process these manually.
We have a full counter of cheese in our shop in Pangbourne so you can still come in and purchase items in store
Price range: £2.60 through £15.60
Chèvre Bûche is a soft goats’ cheese with a bright white rind and a creamy, yet flaky, texture. It has deep rich flavours which are tangy and earthy whilst maintaining a sweetness. It is much more than just a goat cheese log. It’s a real celebration of rural tradition, regional character, and the skill of generations of cheesemakers. Whether you like it young and tangy or mature and earthy, every slice is a little taste of the French countryside.
Chèvre bûche is one of those cheeses you notice right away at the counter, a sturdy log with a soft rind and a bright, tangy middle. Chèvre means ‘goat’ and Bûche means ‘log’ in French, which always makes me smile at how straightforward some cheese names can be. You can find goat cheese all over the place these days, but chèvre bûche still feels most at home around the Loire Valley, surrounded by rolling hills and family farms. It’s a region that really knows how to make the most of its landscape and traditions.
Goat cheese has been part of French life for centuries; some say it goes all the way back to the early Middle Ages. There’s even a story that goats first arrived in central France with Arab influences in the 8th century. True or not, goats turned out to be just right for the rocky soils and modest pastures of the Loire Valley.
Chèvre bûche is really just a clever way to shape and age fresh goat’s curd. Once the curds are set and gently drained, they’re shaped into logs, which helps them dry and mature evenly. The log shape also makes it easy to slice into rounds, just right for popping onto a baguette or crumbling over a salad.
The make process is simple; the milk is acidified and set with rennet, then the curds are ladled into moulds and left to drain naturally. As it matures, you’ll spot a soft white bloom, a bit like the rind on a Brie, it’s delicate and completely edible.
How long the cheese is aged really does make a difference. When it’s fresh, just a few days old, chèvre bûche is bright white, moist, and crumbly. Leave it for a few weeks and it firms up, gets creamier, and develops more interesting aromas, with a lovely soft layer just under the rind.
At its freshest, chèvre bûche is all about bright acidity and a clean, lactic tang. I get hints of lemon zest, yoghurt, or even green apple, along with a gentle grassy note from the goats’ diet. The centre is soft and a little chalky, but as the cheese ripens, it gets creamier towards the edges. It’s a real treat if you like a bit of contrast in your cheese.
As chèvre bûche gets older, the flavours really deepen. The lactic notes softens, and you might notice nutty, earthy, and sometimes even mushroomy notes coming through from the rind. Unlike cow’s milk cheeses, goat cheeses like chèvre bûche have their own distinctive fatty acids that give them that unmistakable aroma and flavour. These are what make the cheese’s “goaty” brightness stand out, but in a well-made bûche, the flavour is elegant and never too much.
Jen’s note: Poitou-Charentes is on the South West side of France. It is set between the valleys of the Loire and the Dordogne. Here the climate is one of the mildest in France and the area is largely rural. These factors combine to make it the perfect location for cheesemaking.
Sizes and Prices
Storage Advice
Delivery and Collection
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, starter cultures, rennet, mould cultures
Normal opening Monday – Saturday 9am – 4pm until:
Sunday 22nd 9am – 4pm
Monday 23rd 9am – 4pm
Christmas Eve 9am – 12pm
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day Closed
Friday 27th Closed
Saturday 28th 9am – 4pm
Sunday 29th Closed
Monday 30th 9am – 2pm
Tuesday 31st 9am – 2pm
New Year’s Day Closed
Thursday 2nd January Closed
Friday 3rd 9am – 4pm then open as normal
After Christmas our courier delivery slots start from 8th January.
