Description
Camembert de Normandie PDO Cheese
About Camembert de Normandie PDO
Camembert de Normandie PDO is the real Normandy classic. Soft, creamy and wonderfully earthy, it has that familiar white rind but far more character than many of the Camembert-style cheeses you’ll find elsewhere.
This is a cheese with a genuine sense of place. It must be made in Normandy from raw cow’s milk and according to strict traditional methods. The result is a cheese that changes enormously as it ripens, from quite firm and lactic when young to soft, rich and gloriously creamy when mature.
The History
You can’t really tell the story of Camembert without mentioning Marie Harel.
According to the famous tale, during the French Revolution Marie sheltered a priest fleeing from the Brie region, who shared his cheesemaking knowledge with her. She then combined what she had learned with Normandy’s own cheesemaking traditions to create the ancestor of the Camembert we know today.
It’s a wonderful story, although probably rather neater than the historical reality. Marie Harel certainly existed, and her family became closely associated with Camembert, but soft cheeses were already being made in Normandy before her time.
What we do know is that Camembert became increasingly popular during the 19th century. Improved transport meant the little cheeses could travel much further than their Normandy home, while the development of the familiar wooden box helped protect them on their journey.
By the early 20th century, Camembert had become one of France’s most recognisable cheeses. Inevitably, that success led to cheeses bearing the Camembert name being made far beyond Normandy.
Protected by its PDO Status
Camembert de Normandie received French AOC protection in 1983 and is now protected by PDO status.
And the de Normandie bit is important.
Lots of cheeses around the world can be called Camembert, but Camembert de Normandie PDO has to follow much stricter rules governing where it is produced, the milk used and how the cheese is made.
Crucially, it is made from raw cow’s milk. The curd is traditionally ladled into moulds in several stages rather than pressed, allowing it to retain plenty of moisture. As the cheese ripens, its bloomy rind develops and the paste gradually softens from the outside towards the centre.
So while Camembert has become a style of cheese made around the world, Camembert de Normandie is something much more specific: a cheese intrinsically connected to Normandy.
Camembert de Normandie – Jen’s Tasting Notes
This is where you really notice the difference between a good Camembert de Normandie and a much milder Camembert-style cheese.
When young, the centre can still be quite firm and chalky, with a fresh, milky tang. As it ripens, the cheese softens from the rind inwards until the paste becomes wonderfully creamy and yielding.
The aromas are unmistakably earthy: mushrooms, warm hay and fresh cream, becoming deeper and more savoury as the cheese matures.
Taste it and you initially get buttery, creamy sweetness, followed by mushrooms, nuts and that lovely earthy character from the rind. A really ripe one can become considerably more assertive, but that’s part of the joy of Camembert de Normandie — it doesn’t taste exactly the same throughout its life.
How to Serve and Pair Camembert de Normandie
- Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it so it has time to soften and those flavours can really open up.
- Classic pairings: Keep it in Normandy with a good dry or demi-sec cider. Apple, bubbles and creamy Camembert are one of those combinations that just make sense.
- Something a little different: A white Burgundy works beautifully too. It has enough richness for the cheese but also enough acidity to keep everything balanced.
- On the plate: Honestly, don’t overcomplicate it. A fresh baguette, some crisp apple and a perfectly ripe Camembert de Normandie is pretty difficult to improve upon.
- In the kitchen: You can cook with it, but this is one I’d rather eat exactly as it is. If you’ve got a beautifully ripe Camembert de Normandie, give me some bread and leave the cheese alone!
Jen’s note: Camembert de Normandie is one of those cheeses where timing really matters. Eat it young and it can be firm and quite lactic; leave it to ripen and it becomes soft, earthy and much more powerful. If you think you don’t like Camembert, it might just be that you haven’t met it at the right stage yet.
Buying Camembert de Normandie
- Brand or Producer: Fromagerie Gillot
- Product name: Camembert de Normandie PDO
- Milk: Cow
- Country: France
- Region: Normandy
- Strength: Medium
- Vegetarian: No
- Suitable for pregnancy: No
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- Whole little cheese (approx. 250g), £10.00
Storage Advice
- Keep refrigerated
- Wrap in waxed paper or cling film
- Remove from the fridge before serving
- Consume within 10 to 14 days of opening
Delivery and Collection
- UK wide courier delivery
- Click and collect from our Pangbourne shop
- Free local delivery available for selected postcodes
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, rennet, ferments
