Feb 03 2025
Beaufort cheese is the most popular cheese from the Savoie region, and while it is synonymous with being made high in the Alpine mountains, don’t be fooled into thinking it is merely a winter cheese and only comes into its own when melted on bread for glutinous gooeyness in your mountain chalet after an exhilarating day on the slopes. Beaufort cheese is just as appealing when made in the summer and enjoyed in the summer too. In fact, Beaufort is the non-seasonal cheese that can be enjoyed all year round.
The Tarine and Abondance cows produce high quality milk as a by-product of the exceptional high-altitude flora of the Haute-Savoie mountains. But while this milk is consistent in quality, it does differ in taste depending on the season and the altitude in which it is produced. The milk is always pressed and heated, but in the summer months between June and October the milk is produced at altitudes ranging from 1500m up to 2500m. This produces a cheese that is a darker yellow colour than the more ivory coloured cheese produced in winter. The summer cheese is officially known as ‘Beaufort d’été’.
Differing flavours largely come from how the cows are fed during the different seasons. The Beaufort area is a stunning part of the world, and in summer the cows graze on the rich and varied flora and trample down the soil as they do so. This maintains the diversity of the pastures but unwittingly helps the skiers who flock to the famous Alpine slopes in the winter. By this time, the cows are safely herded away from the icy descents and are busy grazing on hay that has been harvested from the very same valleys.
Whether the cheese has been produced in summer or winter, it always has to be ripened for a minimum of five months to achieve PDO status. Most producers opt to mature the cheese for between 8-10 months, while many experts say the peak flavours are achieved between 7-12 months.
Beaufort d’été is best enjoyed on its own, it has a stronger taste with more pronounced floral and fruity flavours, while the winter cheese is simply known as ‘Beaufort’ and is much more adaptable. With a milder taste, it is fine for use in many great recipes as well as on its own. Beaufort can be used in a soup, in a fondue, a souffle or a pasta bake.
As a cow’s milk cheese, Beaufort is the ultimate all-rounder, and while there is variation in taste and colour as summer turns into winter, the characteristic concave heel of the cheese wheel remains the same. So too does the firm but smooth texture and the subtlety of the aroma. Whether enjoyed in summer or winter, Beaufort cheese retains standards of quality rarely seen in an all-year-round cheese, but which ensure that you need not deny yourself the true splendour of this delightful French cheese at any time of the year.
If you want to secure some Beaufort cheese for your restaurant or café’s table, then contact our team at Sodiaal UK today.
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