Follow the cheese trail
Destination France (UK): September, 2006

Jo Hegerty heads to the Auvergne where you can nibble your way through the region.

Patricia Charbonnel gets out of bed at 4.30am every morning and prepares to make the morning’s cheese. Her husband takes care of the milking and tends to their 60 Montbéliarde cows. When groups come to visit she shows them how the milk turns to curds using an old-fashioned milk churn, but in the morning and evening when she makes the cheese, it’s the machines that do the really hard work. Through the glass wall, the demonstration room is in darkness – no visitors are quite keen enough to show up for the morning milking.

Ferme GAEC de Bertinet is one of almost 40 farms open to visitors on the Route des Fromages AOC d’Auvergne. This is the only region in France to boast five cheeses granted appelation d’origine controlée status. Cheese is the lifeblood of this region – essential to the economy, cuisine and culture, which is steeped in the traditions of cheese making.

Most travellers only catch a glimpse of the Auvergne from the A75 motorway as they head south, a road of impressive viaducts flanked by dramatic volcanic peaks. But there’s a softer side to the Auvergne that attracts ramblers and mountain bikers in the warmer months. It’s a remote and beautiful place where, in some parts, it’s easy to believe you’ve reached the top of the world.

La Route des Fromages is not so much a route as a collection of farms, dairies and maturing cellars open to the public. Visitors can meet the cows and farmers, see cheeses being made and taste the region’s pride and joy. The stops are concentrated in the Puy De Dôme and Cantal departments south of Clermont-Ferrand. It’s a large area and the farms are often well off the beaten track so some planning is essential before setting out.

One visit that must be included on a cheese route itinerary is a trip to a Salers farm. This unique cheese is farm-produced in a small region in Cantal and it is the most fascinating of all Auvergne’s cheeses.

A good place to get to know Salers cheese is Morcombe farm, just outside Valette. A brown and white cheese-route sign points up an almost vertical road just wide enough for a campervan, and steep enough to make it a slow rise into the clouds. Before the summit stands a thatched-roof bungalow overlooking undulating, green pastures with clumps of russet-coloured Salers cattle grazing, filling the air with the music of their bells.

The building is the Morcombe farm shop and inside Madame Joncoux explains the photographs on the wall. The monochrome images show Salers cheese being made in an old-fashioned wooden barrel. They must be 30 years old. ‘No,’ she laughs, ‘that’s my husband. These pictures were taken three years ago!’

Traditional methods
Modernity may have caught up with the other AOC cheeses of the Auvergne, but for Salers to be the real thing it has to be made using traditional instruments, including the wooden gerle. The milk must come from Salers cows and, to make things really interesting, the cheese must be made immediately but the cows have to be milked out in their pastures. Like hundreds of Salers producers before him, including his father, Monsieur Joncoux makes his Salers in a burron, a lonely, one-room stone building in the middle of his pastures, built in 1820. 

Salers can only be made between 15 April and 15 November as its characteristically spicy flavour is attributed to the cows’ diet of wild summer herbs and flowers. It’s hard work – it takes 400L of milk to make each 40kg cheese – that takes place from 5-11am and 3-8pm every day except Sunday, but the Joncoux wouldn’t change it for anything. In 1996 the young couple were both working – she for a bank and he for an industrial farm – when they decided to open a farm of their own. But why choose to make Salers, the most difficult of all the AOC cheeses? ‘Because it’s the best,’ says M Joncoux.

Before the cows and the cheese, there was the village of Salers, a grand little place that hasn’t changed much since the 16th century. Philosophy is still discussed in the salons de thés, and in the shops you’ll find vintage hats and local crafts, while Maison du Bailliage, Maison des Templiers and other grand, ancient buildings adorn the cobbled streets. From Promenade de Barrouze the panoramic view of Puy Violent is unforgettable; one-time glacial valleys sweep down from the extinct volcano, covered in green, the ubiquitous cows grazing on impossible slopes. Tyssandier d’Escous Place in the centre of town is named after the man who developed the hardy Salers breed of cattle, and his statue stands proud in the middle.

Some for everyone
Just outside Salers the Coopérative Laitière of Saint Bonnet is worth a visit. It has been running since 1956 and specialises in Cantal cheese made from the milk of the famed Salers cows. A specialised milk truck collects from 60 Salers breeders first thing in the morning and Cantal, a cousin of Salers, is made from the raw milk here at the dairy. Monsieur Faure, manager of the co-op and a breeder himself, says that the product is considered a great luxury in Toulouse and Paris where it can sell for more that 20€ a kilo. First and foremost, however, it’s a local product. He estimates that 300 Cantal cheeses are sold to the villagers of Saint Bonnet each year – that works out to be one 45kg block per person! Surrounded by Cantal in the dairy’s maturing cellar, M Faure makes an important distinction: Parisians usually ask for the middle of the cheese because they don’t like the rind, but Auvergnaise will always ask for a wedge because they love the bitterness of the yellow and red bloom.

For most people it’s the maturing cellar, the cave, that holds the most interest – the milk is churned, the cheese pressed; it’s time for nature to take over – and one of the most amazing sights a cheese-lover could see is tunnel de Montagnaguet.
This 360-metre disused railway tunnel has been used as a maturing cellar since 1966. It’s a perfect natural cave with the right amount of humidity and a consistent temperature of 12°C despite the blazing sun or snow outside. Rounds of Salers and Cantal in various stages of maturity are laid out on wooden benches as far as the eye can see, the air is thick and the walls are shiny with moisture.

Félix Malvezin is one of the three men who’s job it is to see that the 3,500 cheeses in their care mature perfectly. He says it’s rare for a cheese to go bad, which is not surprising given his 40 years of experience. The cheeses are 60 days old when they arrive, whitish-yellow at first, soon to develop the characteristic yellow-red bloom. Each weighs around 42kg and must be cleaned with a hessian cloth twice a week to remove excess bacteria. When a batch is sent back to its maker, the bench is scraped down shaving off the top layer of wood and preparing the area for the new arrivals.

M Malvezin and his team work from 5am to midday and the cave is always open to visitors between these times. They’re proud of their tunnel, that much is obvious, and enjoy showing it off. No wonder, it’s an incredible sight – the dripping walls and low lighting, with two rows of cheese stretching into the darkness – but the most memorable part of a visit to the tunnel is the smell. For cheese lovers, the heady funk of cheese coming of age is irresistible.

Myths and legends
Legend has it that blue cheese was invented accidentally when a farmer left a loaf of rye bread in the cheese-curing room of his farm. Some time later he returned to find the loaf covered in mould. As an experiment he added some of the blue growth to a batch of cheese and enriched the world with by discovering the culinary delights of mouldy cheese.

Production methods haven’t changed much since that fateful day in the 1800s, the only difference being that the penicillium roqueforti now comes in a little bottle, and the best place to see blue cheese being made is at Ferme des Croix de Chazelles, near Aveze.

The farm is run by three brothers: Dominique, Bertrand and Christophe Vergnol, and is the only stop on the cheese route where you’ll find farm-produced Bleu d’Auvergne and Fourme d’Ambert. The cheese is made from the milk of the farm’s 60 head of cattle – each of which have a name – and the milk is used immediately. ‘Raw milk is better for the taste,’ says Dominique, ‘you get more from the cheese.’

Certainly, their Bleu d’Auvergne is harder and yellower with a good, sharp bite, and the Fourme d’Ambert creamier than the more common dairy-produced versions. The brothers also produce Bleu d’Aveze a powerful but creamy blue, the perfect partner to a sweet white on a warm day.

On Fridays during summer, Dominique gives outdoor demonstrations from the milking to the needling, the process by which air is let into cheeses to make the mould grow. They’ve had cheese-makers from all over the world come to visit as well as ordinary cheese lovers, many on repeat visits. 

From the Charbonnel’s farmhouse in Saint Donat you can see the Monts Dore, a smudgy, jagged ridge in the distance. In between roll pastures of the richest green where the brown and white Montbéliarde cattle graze. 
During the day Mme Charbonnel hosts visits from tour and school groups. Sometimes she makes gateau tomme, a cake made from the first pressing of the cheese, for her visitors to taste. At 5pm her husband brings the cows in and the milking begins. Visitors watch the milk coming into the production room with interest as Mme prepares to work. Women have always made Saint-Nectaire, it’s tradition. She considers herself lucky, though, at least she has chosen this life. For many women in the past being cheese-maker was  just their lot in life, no questions asked. Modernity brings its problems as well – the cows are still being milked but there are less people willing to make the cheese and more often the milk is going to dairies. As it happens, Mme Charbonnel’s son is interested in studying cheese production, so the ferme gaec de Bertinet will hopefully continue to make farm-produced St Nectaire, as it has always done.

Information

• Go to www.fromages-aoc-auvergne.com for detailed information on the cheese route. You can email info@fromages-aoc-auvergne.com to ask for the English version of the free leaflet, ‘Welcome to the Auverge RDO Cheese Route’ which includes a map.  
• The best time to go is in summer as cows are brought in from their pastures from mid-November until April. Also, most farms have a rest on Sunday so won’t be producing cheese.
• You’ll need a good map, 1:200 000 (1cm:2km) to find some of the farms, and sturdy shoes for traipsing around after the cows at milking time.
• There are more than 400 campsites in the region and plenty of aires de camping cars, or try camping on a farm. Le Ruisselet in Roffiac, near St Flour, is just one of many farms involved in ‘Beinvenue à la ferme’. This can be an inexpensive and peaceful way to camp in the heart of the country, as well as a great way to sample local food. At Le Ruisslet, Madame Bergaud serves hearty meals from her Auberge, which campers can enjoy too. See www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com for more information.

Places to visit

Saint-Nectaire at St-Donat
Visit the farm at around 5.30pm to see Mme Charbonnel making Saint-Nectaire, taste the cheese, watch a video (in French), see the cave and bread oven.

Salers at Valette
The Marcombe farm shop is open 10am to 7pm in summer. You can join M Joncoux as he milks the Salers cattle and see the burron where he makes the cheese. Taste and buy the cheese as well as the farm’s charcuterie all year.

Cantal Cooperative at St-Bonnet-de-Salers
Here you can buy all five of the AOC cheeses and taste the co-op’s speciality Cantal. The film is in French but is self-explanatory.

Tunnel de Montagnaguet at Mentieres
The best time to visit the tunnel is between 10 and 11.45am. The tunnel is close to the A75, take exit 27.

Bleu d’Auvergne and Fourme d’Ambert farm at Aveze
Dominique does outdoor demonstrations on Fridays in July and August, be there at10am sharp.

Also recommended:
Salers at Ferrières Saint-Mary
Producing some of the best-tasting Salers, the small Ferme du Ventoux is open to visitors to see the tiny production room and cave as well as explore the surroundings and meet the animals. Follow the signs at Ferrières Saint-Mary to Lusclade.

Saint-Nectaire at Valbeleix
Farm-produced Saint-Nectaire on a grand scale at Gaec de la Prade. The Lenegre family welcome visitors to watch the cheese being made at 5.30pm.

L’Hotel Saint Georges, 5 Rue Capitaine Chevalier, Riom es Montagnes, 04 71 78 00 15, the chef makes another local speciality – soupe d’ortie or nettle soup.

In the village of Salers, head for La Poterne, Rue Notre Dame, 04 71 40 75 11, which is always packed with locals and specialises in local dishes and Salers meat.

Auvergne’s five AOC cheeses
Saint-Nectaire is produced only in a small area, but has the largest number of farms producing it. It is a soft, creamy cheese, similar in size and style to brie.
Fourme d’Ambert and Bleu d’Auvergne are the two blue cheeses, the first a mild, creamy cheese, the second strong in texture and in taste.
Salers, produced exclusively in summer and only on farms, is a 40kg hard cheese made from milk from Salers cows. Its aromatic flavour comes from the cows’ diet of wild herbs, including liquorice and arnica.
Cantal is traditionally a 43kg hard cheese with three distinct flavours: mild, fresh jeune (young); earthy entre-deux (medium); and vieux (aged) after six months of maturing, with a strong, spicy taste.

Food of the Auvergne
It’s worthwhile tearing yourself away from the cheese at some point to sample the other regional specialities of the Auvergne. Don’t let the words ‘light lunch’ enter your mind, because the menu is likely to be meat, cheese and potato-heavy. Fricandeau, pork pate wrapped in a sheep’s stomach may be an acquired taste, but be sure to try these other typical dishes:
Truffade: a side dish made from roughly-mashed potatoes and tomme, which is the first pressing of cheese, usually Cantal.
Punti: described unappetisingly in English as a ‘meat cake’, this delicious meat and vegetable terrine contains whole, warm prunes.