Consider Comté: an unpasteurised, cow’s milk cheese made by traditional methods at farmer cooperatives to exacting standards in one of the most beautiful corners of rural France, to the delight of gourmands across the globe.
Please join me as I recount my early summer Voyage de Fromage to the Jura Mountains of Eastern France in a brief series of posts about Comté, the bucolic wonderland where it’s produced, and the fascinating factors contributing to its irresistibly unique flavour.
Along the way, I’ll share ideas for planning your own itineraries to the area. There’ll also be op tips on the best sips of Jura wines, and even a chance for one lucky reader to win a gourmet hamper laden with a luscious assortment of treats and a variety of aged Comté cheeses.
In the meanwhile, here are some details about the logistics of my trip and how to find out more about Comté:
Fly
To visit the Jura, I flew Easyjet to/from Geneva via Gatwick. Yes, Geneva in Switzerland. The Jura Mountains span the French-Swiss border. Geneva’s airport is actually on the border with separate exits for arrivals to Switzerland and France.
Sleep
I stayed in two hotels during my visit. One night was at the basic (yet thoroughly comfortable, splendidly quiet and bucolically set) Domaine du Revermont in Passenans, The other was at the pleasant and surprisingly gourmet getaway of Hostellerie Saint-Germain on the Grande Rue in tiny Saint-Germain-lès-Arlay.
Discover
For more info about Comté, including recipes and a list of UK stockists, go to comtecheese.co.uk.
For more about visiting the French Jura, go to jura-tourism.com.
Be sure to check back here soon for more highlights from my Voyage de Fromage.
