Description
Smoked Brie Cheese
About Smoked Brie
I love a smoked cheese, but there is a fine line between adding smoke to a cheese and making something that tastes like a bonfire.
Thankfully, our Smoked Brie gets it just right.
Our supplier takes a mild, creamy Brie from Pays de la Loire in western France and gently smokes it over oak chippings especially for us. The original cheese has lovely milky flavours with a hint of hazelnut, so the smoke has something to work with rather than simply taking over.
The result is still unmistakably Brie — soft, creamy and buttery — but with a lovely savoury smokiness running through it.
Gently Smoked Over Oak
Smoking was historically used as one of several ways of helping to preserve food, but these days we tend to smoke cheese for a much better reason.
Because it tastes delicious.
The trick is getting the balance right.
Our Brie is cold-smoked over oak chippings, allowing the smoke to flavour the cheese without enough heat to melt it. The outside takes on a slightly deeper colour and the texture can become a little firmer, while the inside remains beautifully creamy.
Oak works particularly well because it gives a warm, rounded smokiness without overwhelming the gentle flavours of the Brie underneath.
And that’s important. If all you can taste is smoke, there wasn’t much point starting with good cheese in the first place.
Smoked Brie – Jen’s Tasting Notes
The first thing you notice is the aroma. There’s definitely smoke, but underneath it you can still find the creamy, milky character of the Brie.
The texture is slightly firmer than you might expect from a traditional Brie, particularly towards the outside, but let it come up to room temperature and the paste becomes beautifully soft and creamy.
Flavour-wise, it starts with butter and sweet cream before the oak smoke begins to come through. There’s a gentle nuttiness — almost hazelnut — and a lovely savoury finish.
What I particularly like is that the smoke adds to the cheese rather than disguising it.
That’s exactly how smoked cheese should be.
How to Serve and Pair Smoked Brie
- Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it so it can come up to room temperature.
- Classic pairings: Pinot Noir works beautifully. Its red fruit and earthy character complement both the creamy Brie and the oak smoke without overpowering either.
- Something a little different: Try a brown ale or porter. Those roasted, malty flavours are a natural partner for the smoke.
- On the plate: Keep things simple with fresh baguette and perhaps some dried apricots or cherries. Their sweetness gives you a lovely contrast against the savoury smoke.
- In the kitchen: Smoked Brie is fabulous baked. Wrap it in puff pastry with a little fruit preserve and bake until the pastry is golden and the cheese inside is gloriously gooey.
Jen’s note: Not all smoked cheese has actually been smoked! Some cheeses have smoke flavouring added instead. We prefer the real thing, which is why ours is gently smoked over oak chippings. For me, you can taste the difference — you get proper smokiness without losing the flavour of the cheese underneath.
Buying Smoked Brie
- Brand or Producer: Ma Crémière
- Product name: Smoked Brie
- Milk: Cow
- Country: France
- Region: Pays de la Loire
- Strength: Mild to medium
- Vegetarian: Yes
- Suitable for pregnancy: No
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- 100g wedge, £2.35
- 500g wedge, £11.75
- Whole wheel (approx. 900g), £21.50
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, starter cultures, vegetarian rennet, natural smoke
