Fleur des Alpes Cheese

Description

Fleur des Alpes Cheese

About Fleur des Alpes

Fleur des Alpes is one of those wonderfully comforting French cheeses that just makes me think of winter in the mountains. It’s creamy, mellow and beautifully melty, with gentle buttery and nutty flavours.

More importantly for us, it’s the cheese we currently stock in place of Reblochon PDO.

Reblochon is currently unavailable in the UK, which left us with something of a tartiflette problem. We wanted to find a cheese with that same lovely combination of a supple paste, creamy flavour and, most importantly, the ability to melt beautifully.

Fleur des Alpes fits the bill rather nicely.

A Taste of the Alps

The name Fleur des Alpes means ‘Flower of the Alps’, and the cheese takes its inspiration from the long tradition of mountain cheesemaking found across the French Alps.

For generations, Alpine cheesemaking has been shaped by the need to turn fresh milk into something that could be kept, transported and enjoyed throughout the year. That tradition has given us an enormous variety of mountain cheeses, from huge hard wheels designed for long maturation to smaller, softer cheeses made to be eaten much younger.

Fleur des Alpes belongs firmly at the softer end of that spectrum. Made from pasteurised cow’s milk, it has a smooth, supple texture and gentle flavour that makes it lovely to eat as it is, but it really comes into its own when you melt it.

And that is exactly why we chose it.

Fleur des Alpes – Jen’s Tasting Notes

How to Serve and Pair Fleur des Alpes

• Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it if you’re serving it as a table cheese.
• Classic pairings: Keep things Alpine with a crisp Savoie white made from Jacquère. Its freshness is just what all that creaminess needs.
• Something a little different: A crisp lager works really well too, particularly if you’re serving the cheese melted.
• On the plate: Add some cured ham, cornichons or pickled onions and a little apple compote, plus plenty of crusty bread, and you’ve got a rather lovely lunch.
• In the kitchen: This is really where Fleur des Alpes shines. We use it as our alternative to Reblochon for tartiflette, where it melts into a wonderfully smooth, creamy layer. It’s also brilliant in a ham and cheese toastie or panini.

Jen’s note: When Reblochon PDO became unavailable in the UK, we needed to find something to fill the rather large tartiflette-shaped hole it left behind. Fleur des Alpes was our answer. It isn’t Reblochon and we’re not going to pretend it is — but it melts beautifully, tastes delicious and means tartiflette is very definitely still on the menu.

Buying Fleur des Alpes

• Brand or Producer: Fromagerie Verdannet
• Product name: Fleur des Alpes
• Milk: Cow
• Country: France
• Region: Haute-Savoie
• Strength: Mild to medium
• Vegetarian: No
• Suitable for pregnancy: No
• Allergens: MILK

Sizes and Prices

• Half wheel, approx. 225g, £7.00
• Full wheel, approx. 450g, £14.00

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, ferments, rennet