Nov 24 2025
A restaurant lives and dies by the quality of its menu, but also in how it changes and refreshes the menu to adapt to new dining trends, to showcase the skills of the chef and to adapt to the seasons of the year. A menu should be a live and dynamic thing, and it should change as the year changes. Ingredients come into season at different times of year and can elevate a dish, while people’s tastes and needs change as the calendar ticks over too.
Cheese is a staple ingredient in many fine dishes, and in winter comes into its own to provide warmth, comfort and flavour. Whether your restaurant specialises in French cuisine or is looking to adapt its menu to reflect upcoming winter trends, French cheese should be high on your list of key ingredients and here we have brought some recipe ideas together to help your new menu hit the spot.
There are a number of popular French dishes that generate warmth and comfort in winter, and nearly all of them involve French cheese as a principal ingredient. Tartes and soups always go down well, while a Fondue is a guaranteed winner in restaurants where sharing dishes are popular. Aligot is another traditional French dish which combines mashed potato, a good melting cheese like Comte, butter and garlic, and is a one-pot wonder which creates a delicious gooey mixture, which can also be served with sausages or other roast meats. You can also keep it simple with melted raclette served in a pot with chunks of bread or herbed, roasted potatoes and pickles. This will warm the stomach and create a wholesome glow.
We have also created a number of simple recipes which all use some of the very best French cheeses but which are based on the kind of simple premise your menu has to cater for in winter; solid flavours and a comforting warmth.
Mont Brie Bleu Hasselback Potatoes
The Hasselback potato is a great accompaniment for various meats and other vegetables but is also a visual treat which is relatively easy to achieve. But a melted Mont Brie Blue drizzled over it can take this dish to another dimension. Much like combining potato with raclette has been chasing the winter blues away for centuries, so too this paring is a no-frills winner that doesn’t take a circuitous route and just delivers flavour, warmth and satisfaction with an immediate hit.
Butternut Squash and Fourme d’Ambert Risotto
Butternut squash is a true winter veg that always satisfies, while risotto is a warming dish that is solid and consistent. This risotto uses Fourme d’Ambert – one of the more accessible blue cheeses – to ensure it is a widespread success. It uses cooking cream to get the right consistency and to provide an indulgent texture, while the blue cheese adds that bite and flavour that goes right to the soul.
Bleu d’Auvergne and Gruyere croquettes
This is another crowd-pleaser that oozes indulgence, using both cheeses in a creamy bechamel sauce. The golden brown croquettes that come out of the pan really pack a punch flavour wise but also bring a warmth that recharges the batteries on a cold winter’s day. Pair these with almost anything you like or just serve them on their own.
VIEW ALL OUR NEWS