Montbriac

Montbriac is soft and silky with a light blue veining and rich, creamy and buttery texture. It is a luxurious but mild blue cheese with a well balanced saltiness, which goes runny with age.
Pasteurised Cow's Milk
Matured for four weeks in France and an additional 1 to 4 weeks in our Cambridge cellars
Traditional Rennet
£12.30

Size

The History, Dairy & Farm, Animals & Maker

Montbriac is made with the milk of Salers cows in the Auvergne region of south-central France. Salers cows are a fascinating breed which have been used in cheese production for at least 2000 years, notably in their namesake cheese, Salers, one of the oldest known cheeses in the world which is still made today. Cave drawings of this particular breed have however found been in the Salers area, which date back 16,500 years, suggesting they have been used in meat and dairy production for considerably longer.

Salers cows are also special in that they will only produce milk when their calves are present, so the animals are usually kept with their mothers for a long time and are also usually milked in mobile parlours out in the fields, both of which ensure an excellent quality of life for the animals.

This Montbriac is made by La Fromagerie de la Vallée de l’Ance which is in Beauzac, just south west of Lyon in France.

The rind of Montbriac cheese is traditionally ashed, which helps protect the cheese as well as give it an interesting appearance.

Sustainability

The cows are outdoor reared and milked on mountain pastures. The carbon footprint of free range cows is significantly lower than their barn kept counterparts. Food doesn’t need to be grown for the cows elsewhere and so there are very few, if any, food miles involved in their feeding and in the cheese production.