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: £4.10 through £20.50
Many cheeses are available year-round in large quantities. Vacherin Mont d’Or AOP stands out as truly seasonal and terroir-driven. Its production and consumption follow the rhythms of nature and pasture. Its flavour is shaped by alpine grasses and by the spruce wood that enfolds it. Its enjoyment is as much ritual as nourishment. Whether you’re scooping it at room temperature or sharing a warm boîte chaude with friends, this cheese brings warmth and richness to the winter table like almost no other.
Imagine it’s a snowy evening and you’re opening up a wooden box to find a cheese that just feels right for winter; soft, fragrant, and a real treat for the season. If you’ve ever come across a wheel of Vacherin Mont d’Or in the shop at this time of year, you’ll know it’s something to get excited about. This isn’t your everyday soft cheese. It’s a seasonal favourite in Switzerland, especially in the Jura, where families have been making it by hand for generations.
Vacherin Mont d’Or is a soft, cow’s milk cheese with a washed rind, but it’s only made from mid-August through to the end of March. This follows the old farming calendar. When the cows come down from the summer pastures, there’s not enough milk for big cheeses like Gruyère, so the farmers use the richer milk to make these smaller, more indulgent cheeses. What began as a practical solution has become a tradition people look forward to every year.
Vacherin Mont d’Or comes from the Vallée de Joux and the foothills of the Vaud Jura, a lovely patchwork of forests, high meadows, and dairy farms. The cows there graze on a mix of grasses and herbs, and you can really taste the difference in the milk. The high pastures give the cheese a special character that shines through in every bite.
From late summer through to early spring, this cheese is made to capture the spirit of the season and the land. People have been talking about “vacherin” in this region since at least the early 1800s; there are even records from 1823 and the 1840s showing it was already a favourite at local markets. Over time, the name settled into “Vacherin Mont d’Or”, and it’s now a true regional speciality.
Every autumn, the Vallée de Joux comes alive for the Fête du Vacherin Mont-d’Or. In Les Charbonnières, people gather in September for music, festivities, and, best of all, the first cheese of the season. It’s a tradition that’s looked forward to year after year.
In Switzerland, Vacherin Mont d’Or has held the AOP label (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) since 2003. This designation means the cheese is protected by law, guaranteeing that only cheese made in the designated place and in the traditional way can carry the name.
According to the AOP requirements, Vacherin Mont d’Or is produced exclusively from milk from cows raised within roughly 25 kilometres of the cheesery, and those cows are fed almost entirely on local forage, without any fermented feed. During the autumn and winter seasons, farmers deliver milk twice daily, and it is gently heat-treated rather than fully pasteurised to preserve its natural character. After curdling and brining, each cheese is wrapped in a spruce or pine bark strip, which imparts subtle woody, resinous notes, and is then rested in wooden boxes during its 17-day minimum ageing period. Throughout, the cheeses are carefully turned and washed, allowing the unique rippled rind to develop.
All this care isn’t just about quality; it ties the cheese to its land, its people, and its history.
Vacherin Mont d’Or may look simple, a round cheese in a wooden box, held by bark, but there’s so much more to it.
The hallmarks of Vacherin Mont d’Or are its softness and melt-in-the-mouth texture. When young, the paste inside is supple, balanced between firm and fluid. As it matures, it becomes creamy, velvety, and almost spoonable, especially when warmed. It invites you to scoop and savour rather than slice.
The aroma is gentle, never too strong. You can notice hints of alpine grass and fresh cream. There is just a touch of wood from the bark. The flavour is rich and buttery, with a little tang and a subtle note of resin from the spruce.
This cheese doesn’t demand attention; it wins gently. Its mild, creamy character is easy to love, even for those new to soft or washed-rind cheeses, but seasoned cheese lovers will enjoy it too.
Jen’s note: The spruce bark strip is where the magic happens. These wooden bands, carefully made from Jura trees, bring their own gentle aromas to the cheese and help create that special flavour we all look forward to.
Sizes and Prices
Storage Advice
Delivery and Collection
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, rennet, salt, ferments
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.
