Food for thought

In another life, I think I’d be a mouse…
Cheese has always been my favourite food, not just the tangy, golden cheddar to make those tempting late night toasties, but all the gooey, ripe soft cheeses that dribble across crackers and the smelly blues with a dubious mould permeating their creamy whiteness.
So, in France, happiness was in discovering the enticing Livarot Faire des Fromages (Cheese Fair) in the Normandy region, an annual event held every August.
Normandy celebrates 4 iconic cheeses as part of its food heritage – Camembert, Pont L’Eveque, Neufchatel and the lesser known Livarot, a soft washed rind with a pungent odour. The vivid orange outer is bound with stripes of raffia, giving rise to its nickname ‘The Colonel’. Although Livarot cheese is one of the oldest known in Normandy, production almost died out at one stage, but thanks to a few families who kept the tradition alive, it is now freely available. Its AOC status allows it only to be produced in the vicinity of the village of Livarot, which proved to be a quaint hamlet just a couple of hours from the poignant landing beaches of World War 2.
A short drive across Normandy from a base in the medieval town of Domfront took us through verdant apple orchards, their fruit destined for Normandy’s trademark cider, before hitting the rich dairying countryside surrounding the home of this individual cheese.
With unseasonal rain steadily pouring down, the Fair seemed doomed but we pressed on to the main street, where small covered stalls bravely displayed their wares. Temptation indeed! Wines, ciders and breads sat side by side with an astonishing variety of smoked sausage and those wonderful cheeses. Damp but not disheartened, the villagers were happy to offer tastings of their delectable products and introduced us to some exciting new fare, as well as some we may never try again! And yes, the Livarot cheese is delicious, soft and creamy but with a spicy flavour and a very distinctive aroma of something that may have recently died.
Then, of all coincidences, while wine tasting and chatting to the proprietor at his stall about things vinous, he let slip that he had experienced one vintage in our own home town. That small twist of fate created instant friends and made a local event just that bit more personal.
Maybe another August we will make our way back to Livarot for the Cheese Fair – but if so, we won’t be taking any cheese home – it took a week for the hire car to lose that perfume!