cheese tour of france

These Are The Very Best Cheese Tasting Tours In France

Cheese Tasting Day Trips in France

For short culinary break, a day trip to the most famous fromageries in and outside Paris is a very good idea. There are a lot of options when it comes to these short trips and all of them offer incredible experiences.

During a Paris degustation you will be able to visit the best Parisian cheesemongers and to taste various seasonal cheeses paired with wine, fruits or salads. You will also be able to learn how to create a cheese plate and how to select the best cheeses based on your milk preferences.

Many local companies can offer you a custom cheese degustation based on your level of expertise. If you are a novice In French cheese, you will learn the basics and try the most famous types of French cheese. On the other hand, if you are a connoisseur, the tour will be adapted and the tour providers will make sure you will improve your knowledge by offering themed degustations for you.

Visiting Alsace is a cheese lovers’ dream and participating in the famous Cérémonie des Fromages is a gourmet experience that involves a six course plates tasting experience with 22 cheeses including the best ones in the region.

Cheese Journeys in France

Those who want to discover France’s best cheese regions can embark in a longer cheese tour that will make their taste buds very, very happy.

A cheese tour in the French Alps region means discovering the most famous mountain cheeses. From Comté to Vacherin du Haut Doubs , tourists  will indulge in delicious cheese tasting in a beautiful mountain scenery.

Burgundy is another region in France, perfect for cheese tours. Besides the famous cheeses that can be tasted in the region, all tourists will also have an amazing wine tasting experience. In Burgundy, cheese and wine also go hand in hand.

Those who have a soft spot for goat cheese, will surely love Provence, a beautiful sea destination that is known as the land of rosé wine and goat cheese.

About the author

I love to travel and explore new places around the world. Meeting different people from various intercultural background and spending time with locals is something that makes me feel great. You can connect with me at Google+ or follow me on Twitter .

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The Normandy cheese route

Normandy Tourism, France

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Fromagerie Graindorge

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Updated on 21 July 2021

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In Normandy, all four of the cheeses boasting the coveted PDO certification (‘AOC’ in French) quality label are also villages – Camembert, Livarot, Pont-l’Evêque and Neufchâtel. Visit these villages on the Normandy Cheese Route, find out how those French famous cheeses are made and enjoy some tastings along the way!

The route TO THE CAMEMBERT, Livarot, PONT-L’EVEQUE AND NEUFCHATEL

France’s equivalent of the PDO certification, ‘AOP’ stands for Appellation d’Origine Protégée (protected designation of origin) and legally guarantees that the product in question was prepared in the place specified on the packet. Two thirds of Normandy’s cheeses come from cows put out to pasture on local grassland. Producers, manufacturers, restaurants, dairies and creameries all ensure a special experience along the Normandy Cheese Route, a route showcasing Normandy’s four PDO-certified cheeses, known in French as the Route des fromages AOP de Normandie . Find out about producer know-how, enjoy guided tours, see how the animals are looked after, learn how the cheeses are made and most importantly, buy products from the farm shop to take home!

The dairies

There are so many dairies to visit, but we don’t want to milk the subject! Sorry, cheesy joke.

• Fromage Durand
• Ferme du Champ Secret
• Réo Fromagerie du Val d’Ay
• Fromagerie E. Graindorge

Ferme Lévêque

Some cheesy facts

• Neufchâtel is the oldest of the Normandy cheeses. In fact, during the Hundred Years’ War, the dairy maidens in the Pays de Bray would offer English soldiers this cheese in the shape of a heart as a token of their affection, hence its shape
• Marie Christine Harel, born in 1761 in the village of Crouttes (which means ‘crust’) is said to be the inventor of Camembert cheese
• There are over 600 farms producing PDO-certified cheeses in Normandy

Fromagerie Durand

Ferme du champ secret

Laiterie fromagerie du Val d’Ay Ets Réaux

A weekend on the Normandy Cheese Route

Updated on 7 December 2022

Camembert in Normandy

Updated on 1 February 2022

The secrets of a real farmhouse camembert

Updated on 26 June 2020

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Comté Cheese Route: A Fromage Road Trip Through Eastern France

Most of us are guilty of having a ‘not-so-secret’ love affair with cheese (and I question anybody who doesn’t!). From gratin to fondue to a gooey grilled cheese sandwich, the velvety and creamy goodness is simply delicious. Sometimes you don’t even need all the hoopla of multiple ingredients, you just need the cheese itself. And that’s where French Comté cheese really shines. 

Your cheese passion will go even deeper if you head to Eastern France to follow the Les Routes du Comté, a regional drive that will take you from the cheese farmers to the makers to the aging caves. You will experience the love and dedication that goes into producing this respected fromage firsthand. But, I’ll warn you if you try a bite or two on the road, you might end up with the whole 80-pound wheel in your back seat!

What is Comté Cheese?

Let me start by saying that it’d be hard to fit a huge wheel of Comte cheese in your fridge, but it deserves a good effort at trying! The popular French cheese is bursting with complex flavors with sweet, nutty, and savory undertones. It is produced in the East of France in the Jura Massif, a mountainous region lying along the scenic France–Switzerland border. This is where the farmers produce the milk, the cheesmakers prepare the rounds and the affineurs age the cheese to perfection.

Even though I am a sucker for just a plain chunk of cheese (maybe dipped in a little orange marmalade!), Comté itself is very versatile. It can be melted for a tasty fondue, used to thicken a sauce or served on a cheeseboard—here are some tasty recipes .

Worried about eating too much cheese? There are actually some benefits: A one ounce serving of Comté contains a third of the daily recommended value of calcium and is among the least salty cheeses! So, there.

The Jura Mountains of the Franche-Comte Region

Franche-Comte is a rural region in eastern France, sprawling near the border of Switzerland. The beautiful place is dotted with picturesque abbeys, surreal lanes, cascading waterfalls, rolling mountains, and secluded hiking trails. The Massif du Jura is a mountain range that stretches between the departments of Jura, Doubs and Ain. And this is where amazing cheese comes from, a specialty of the region.

The diversity of the landscape, and distinct terroir adds to the unique smell and taste of every Comté wheel that is produced in the area (and no two wheels are exactly alike!).

Les Routes du Comté

The Les Routes du Comte is a network of farmers, cheesemakers, maturing cellars, museums and craftsmen in the Jura Massif area who welcome visitors to explore the regional specialties. While driving along the route you can stop by a farm to see the milking process, watch the larges rounds of cheese being made at a fruitières, visit an aging cellar to ogle the endless rows of wheels and pop into a lovely restaurant for lunch. No matter what you do, the locals will accept you to the country roads and provide the best gastronomic experience.

The link also brings together the country and tourism by offering unique accommodations, some where you get to stay in quaint ranch houses right on a farm!

The Process of Producing Comté

Comté cheese has an AOC/PDO designation of origin, which means it can only be produced in a specific region of France (kind of like Champagne can only be produced in Champagne in order to bear that name). The  PDO, which spans 3 departments of the Jura Massif—Doubs, Jura and part of Ain, requires strict guidelines for the  2,500 farmers, 150 fruitières and 13 affineurs who have a hand in producing each wheel.

Comté Farmers/Milk Producers

There are around 2,500 farmers that are legally allowed to be a producer of milk for Comté cheese and the PDO has a set of rules that every one must adhere to. For example, the herd of nearly 150,000 cows (95% Montbéliarde and 5% French Simmental), must each have a minimum of 2 acres of land to roam on. That explains why vast open pastures with grazing light brown and white cows are a common sight at Les Routes du Comté!

It takes the milk of 20 cows per day (400 liters!) to produce one 88-pound wheel of cheese, so the milking of the cows is something that’s hard to miss during your visit to a farm. Another rule of the PDO is that the first milk from the cow must be done by hand, which made me happy because this guideline is why at Charbonnel Farm I got to check “milk a cow” off my bucket list .

Cows are milked twice a day and the milk must be made into cheese within 24 hours, so shortly after the farmers milk the cows, it is delivered to the cheesemakers—the f ruitières.

Comte Fruitières

Comte cheese is made every single day of the week (no rest for farmers, producers or the cows!) and at the fruitières is where its done. As sunlight hits the horizon, farmers collect the milk from their cows and bring it to fruitières—cheese-making facilities. The milk is then warmed to 90ºF in humongous copper vats and the cheesemaker adds a few ingredients including natural leavens and rennet to produce curds.

When the consistency is just perfect, he will transfer it to a mould and put a green tag on the rim to indicate where it was made and on what date. The amount of green tags each cheesemaker gets is related to the amount of cows, this is how they can control the market and further create the best product. After the cheese is removed from the mould it may stay a short time on spruce boards at the fruitières, but then needs to be taken to the next specialist in the chain of Comté, the affineur. 

I visited two Fruitières on Les Routes du Comté—Fruitière de Bonnétage and Fruitière de La Brune. Fruitière de Bonnétage works as a part of a 9-farm cooperative, and has a cute storefront attached to the facility. I bought some Comté mustard there, but they have lots of other goodies! Fruitière de La Brune is a much smaller venue and located in a more rural area at the edge of a mountain road (pictured below). 

Affineurs (Cheese Caves)

Cheese caves are a little piece of heaven for cheese-enthusiasts. From ceiling to floor, and seemingly never-ending rows, there is nothing but wheels of aging cheese. These caves, called the affineurs, are places where Comte Cheese is stored for the maturing process. The time period can last from merely four months to years (the 18-month aged cheese was my favorite!).

As you step inside the magnificent caves, you will be awestruck by the panorama of cheesy goodness and the delicate care that is taken with every wheel. The cellars are kept at ideal temperatures, as the the master affineur regularly uses a small implement to carefully inspect the sound, smell and taste of the each round. Each wheel also has to be flipped about every other day (remember that they are almost 100 pounds!?!). Some of the larger affineurs may have a machine that will do this, but others do it by hand—what a workout.

I took a tour of Marcel Petite , cellars of Fort Saint Antoine. Located at the height of 1100 meters and in the heart of Jura Mountains, the ripening cellars set in an old military fort contains thousands of cheese wheels. 

A Taste of Comté Along the Route

On the Les Routes du Comte you will have plenty of opportunity to sample the cheese at different ages. But, to explore the versatile flavor even more, visit some of the restaurants in the area to see what their chefs are doing with the delicacy.

There are dozens of delicious eateries, but two of my favorites on the route were Petite Echelle and L’Anversis Table de Montagne. Petite Echelle is an inn with a cozy indoor restaurant and a few picnic tables outside. Comté cheese fondue is the specialty here—don’t miss it! L’Anversis Table de Montagne is a artsy place whose menu is written on a chalkboard daily. Whether it be a tartine or crusted sweetbreads with cheese sauce, there’s almost always a dish with Comté featured here.

You can lust for a cheese, but when you follow the process from farmer to cheesemaker to master affineur, you can truly fall in love. Comte is a cooperative effort of some of the most passionate people in France who produce it with love and care. This has to be very reason that is tastes so good.

Essential Tips for Visiting Franche-Comté Planning: The Les Routes du Comte can be difficult to navigate (especially if you don’t speak French!), so it’s best to do your research beforehand. Plus, contact the CIGC and tourism boards for more information and help with arranging the perfect stops for you.  CIGC: [email protected] Comté Cheese Website: http://www.comte-usa.com/ Jura Tourism: https://www.jura-tourism.com/ Getting There: Geneva airport in Switzerland is actually the closest major airport to the region and most airlines will fly into it. You can easily check for the best fare deals at Skyscanner , which also has the option to choose ‘cheapest month’ as the departure to find the lowest priced dates to fly to your destination. Where to Stay in Franche-Comté Region: L’Hôtel du Coude   (moderate) is a family run inn that dates back to the 16th century and has a very good restaurant onsite (try their La Croute aux Morilles!). L’Etang du Moulin Hotel & Restaurant (luxury) is a trendy place whose artwork throughout will keep you entertained. The onsite restaurant is ran by award-winning chef Jacques Barnachon who serves up dishes that rival the artwork on the walls. L’Hotel Arbez Franco-Suisse straddles the France-Switzerland border and is the perfect spot the night before a flight. Or search some great deals on hotels of your choice at Booking.com . If you’re looking for more of a home atmosphere (or are traveling with a group of people), head over to VRBO that has houses, apartments and even just a room for rent in every price range. .   Getting Around: Renting a car at the Geneva airport is the best way to really experience the area and RentalCars.com has some great deals. Insurance: It’s always a good idea to travel fully insured so you are protected in case of trip cancellations or medical emergencies. You can check out pricing at Travelex Insurance . Universal Adapter: Your American plugged equipment will need an adapter. I use the Celtic Universal Adapter , which has brought me around the world with no problems. This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my links, I earn a commission that helps to keep this blog running—at no extra cost to you. For more information read my full disclosure .

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2 thoughts on “Comté Cheese Route: A Fromage Road Trip Through Eastern France”

Hi Annette! Definitely, your post is very helpful for all. Thank you for the great info! 

I love that cheese is like wine in France. The terroir is so important and each bottle of wine and each wheel of cheese tastes unique to the plot of land it is from.

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We are a group of passionnate cheese and wine professionnals. We wanted to open a place in Paris where we could make, age, taste and buy the best of the french traditional cheeses. We also wanted to share as much as possible about the craft related to cheese. After 3 years of maturation, we have opened in september 2017 this totally unique place. A real cheese school ! In this 160m² cheese and wine shop in the heart of Paris, we offer cheese and wine tasting workshops, cheese making workshops, immersion and teaching programs for futur cheesemongers…

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An American agency contacted us to create a cross-regional luxury gourmet tour in France for their clients with a strong focus on cheese. They were all foodies and expected to taste as many cheeses’ varieties as possible!

They wanted to start with Paris and nearby areas renowned for cheeses. We then suggested them to go to Lyon for its outstanding gastronomy and wine culture, and finally to have a proper Auvergne food tour: a lesser known area offering stunning landscapes and some of the best cheeses of the country. The “Cheese Route” there, mostly renowned by locals, also caught their attention.

We searched for weeks for the most authentic farms and cheese producers in order to offer a complete gastronomic and cultural experience for the most irresistible trip!

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Home Tours French Cheese and Wine Tour

French Cheese and Wine Tour

What do the French do better than anyone else? Many would say ‘wine’. Just as many, however, would also say ‘cheese’. This is the ultimate French gastronomic experience; traverse the entire country, enjoying not only the sights and sounds of France’s finest viticultural regions – but also the cheese and wines

Trip Highlights

Travel across the whole of France, staying in the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Provence, Burgundy and Champagne along the way

Relax with a memorable wine tour along the famous Route des Chateaux in Bordeaux

Indulge yourself with a unique opportunity to taste the vast range of local cheeses from each region

Discover the Loire Valley on a private wine tour around Saumur and Chinon

Boutique accommodation with breakfasts included

This is a guide price based on 2 people travelling together and sharing a room.

Trip details

After settling into your hotel in the heart of Tours, your tour begins proper as you’re whisked off to the Old City for a tutored tasting of three wines with accompanying canapés

Your day in the Loire Valley starts with a visit to Château Chenonceau and its resplendent Renaissance gardens. Later in the morning you’ll get to explore the cellars and caves of a Loire Valley wine specialist and taste vintage drops of Vouvray, Montlouis, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. Then follows a cheese and wine tasting session, in which you’ll enjoy some of the region’s best local cheeses – such as Valençay, Crottin de Chevignol and Chabichou – before tours of the Château Clos Lucé and the Royal Château of Ambois

Journey onwards to the stylish city of Bordeaux. Your wine and cheese tour continues here with a pre-dinner tasting with three wines, along with such well-loved cheeses as Bordeaux’s local Bethmale and Camembert varieties

Your Bordeaux wine tasting tour continues along the famous Route des Châteaux, passing through the Margaux and Paulliac regions. Your English-speaking guide will chauffeur you to two classified growth or Cru Bourgeois estates – all these visits are followed by a wine tasting session

Today, you’ll depart Bordeaux for Provence. Take the chance to explore Avignon’s picturesque squares, shops and galleries and see artists, actors, mimes and musicians plying their trade around the spectacular Palais des Papes. Then it’s on to a pre-dinner tasting where you’ll enjoy a range of the region’s most prestigious wines alongside a selection of local cheeses. A range of varieties rule here, from Reblochon to Beaufort to Raclette to Tomme de Savoie

After breakfast there’s no time to waste as you meet your English-speaking guide and head off for your first Provencal wine tasting. Here’s you’ll learn secrets old and new as you compare the winemaking techniques of yesterday and today. Enjoy tasting at three Rhone Valley wine appellations

Leaving Provence behind and heading northwards to Burgundy, you’ll arrive in Beaune, once home to the mighty Dukes of Burgundy

Continue your historic Burgundy wine tour with visits and tastings at two of Beaune’s oldest, most esteemed wine cellars, one of which dates back to the 13 th  century. Then follow up with a cheese and wine pairing lunch (look out for Boucheron, Montrachet, Charollais and Epoisses de Bourgogne, here) at an estate in the heart of the Côte de Beaune vineyards

Today, you’ll embark on the final leg of your journey towards Champagne. After settling into your hotel in the heart of historic Reims, it’s off for a champagne tasting tour at one of the region’s world-famous champagne houses

Your champagne weekend continues with a memorable full day of champagne tours along the famous Route du Champagnes. Along the way visit two boutique family estates where you’ll be invited to explore the cellars, tastes their wines and share in their passion. The day includes a cheese lunch featuring some of Champagne’s finest cheeses, such as Chaource and Langres

After breakfast at your hotel in Reims, time for a bit of last minute shopping before travelling home.

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• Best Cheese Tasting in Paris: Who to Book & What Cheeses You May Try

by Nichole | Last updated Aug 25, 2023 | Best Food Europe , France

You simply cannot come to Paris without trying the mouthwatering French cheeses! When you walk into a local fromagerie, the variety of cheese options is overwhelming. How do you pick among the 500+ varieties? What are you going to like? What better way to get oriented than by joining a cheese tasting in Paris? And since you are in France, of course, this must be paired with excellent French wine. Find out who we think runs the best cheese & wine tasting tour in Paris and what we tried.  

* Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. All recommendations are from first-hand experience that I feel will deliver value to you! Thank you for your continued support.

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Who to Book

Location of cheese tasting tour , 01- goat cheese: rouelle de tarn, 02- sheep cheese: ossau-iraty aop, 03- goat/sheep cheese: tomme de chèvre & brebis, 04- cow cheese: époisses aop, 05- cow cheese: brie de meaux aop, 06- cow cheese: reblochon de savoie aop, 07- cow cheese: comté aop, 08- cow cheese: bleu d’auvergne, wine pairings , final thoughts , related content.

My husband and I are huge foodies and have dined at a range of restaurants from some incredible street-side cafes to the best 3-star Michelin restaurants like the Inn at Little Washington .

Quality and experience are super important to us.

When I say our cheese tasting tour with Andres from Airbnb Experiences was one of our favorite tours of all time, I truly mean it.

Andres has lived all over the world and has worked at some of the top restaurants in France after attending one of France’s most prestigious culinary schools. He even has his Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 and offers tours to France’s Champagne region.

With that decorated background, you know you are in good hands!

Jouannault cheese shop in Paris, France

We took a 20-minute metro ride from our hotel, L’Hôtel Fougère in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, to get to the cheese tasting class.

Talk about ambiance.

The location of this cheese tasting in Paris is accessed by a steep staircase underneath the Jouannault cheese shop in a 17th-century cellar!

Incredibly authentic.

Before we dove into our tasting, Andres walked us through the cheese-making process and showed us where the cheeses were stored and aged in a special chamber.

Our small group was then led into a room with a long wooden table, and we all gathered around family style. I have found most wine and food tours attract some fun, well-traveled people.

Our group was no exception, and we really enjoyed getting to know one another over some lovely French cheese and wine.

Here is a rundown of all the amazing French cheeses we tried:

Rouelle de Tarn

This mild, ash-covered, 1-week aged cheese has a distinctive shape and looks like a large donut.

A mold is used to shape the cheese curds, creating the hole in the center.

It’s got a milky texture as you can see from the photo and a faint taste of hazelnut.

Ossau-Iraty AOP

This ancient sharp, nutty cheese is made from a very specific sheep called the Manic ewe from a very specific region in the Pyrénées.

Some say it is one of the first cheeses ever made.

The family owned-company called Agour has won a few awards for this cheese in the largest cheese competition in the world, appropriately named the World Cheese Awards .

Love this cheese!

Tomme de Chèvre & Brebis

A little bit of sheep and a little bit of goat. I don’t think I have ever had a blend of cheeses from two different animals. It’s unique with a subtle taste.

Époisses AOP

Ah, Époisses.

I have certainly had a love affair with this delicious, stinky (some say smelly socks or a touch of barnyard?) cheese ever since I first put it in my mouth at the Inn at Little Washington restaurant.

The flavor is rich and lingers in your mouth like a glass of beautifully aged wine.

This Burgundian cheese has a distinctive orange-red terracotta rind that has been washed in traditional French brandy, Marc de Bourgogne. It has such a soft runny texture you can eat it with a spoon.

Another Burgundian cheese we tried later on in our trip while biking through the vineyards of France was an incredible cow’s milk cheese called Delice de Pommard Moutarde.

It’s encrusted with Dijon mustard seeds, giving it a little spice. Yum.

Brie de Meaux AOP

Known as the “King of Brie,” Brie de Meaux is yet another beautiful French cheese characterized by a smooth, buttery flavor with hints of mushroom. The innards almost appear custard-like.

This is an easy cheese to love.

Reblochon de Savoie AOP

This deliciously soft, custardy mountain cheese can taste quite nutty as it ages. It is popular in hearty alpine dishes like tartiflette, a casserole of potatoes, bacon, and onions.

We enjoyed this cheese again in Chamonix, France after long days of hiking.

The origin of the name of the cheese is pretty interesting. It comes from the word reblocher, which translates to “pinch a cow’s udder again.”

Dairy farmers used to have to pay the landlords a tax based on the milk volume their cows produced. They avoided paying the full tax by only partially milking their cows.

When the landlords left, they milked their cows a second time. This richer milk was used to make the famous Reblochon cheese.  

I am now obsessed with Comté thanks to our cheese tasting tour. Comté is made in the Jura mountainside of eastern France from two specific breeds of cows and is matured in special dark caves.

A green label on the cheese wheel means it’s the best quality.

It is famous for its complex, iconic flavor profile.

Aged Comté is nutty, buttery, sweet, and smoky.

This truly special cheese can be aged all the way up to five years! The one we tasted had been aged 30 months and was heaven in the mouth.

It is certainly one of the finest, celebrated cheeses in the world.

In addition to our cheese tasting class, we enjoyed Comté infused in delicious homemade bread during our Burgundy wine tour and also in fondue while hiking the French Alps in Chamonix.

Do NOT miss trying this cheese!

Bleu d’Auvergne

Alright, this is one cheese I have not yet developed an appreciation for.

Maybe it’s an acquired taste.

Bleu d’Auvergne is milder in taste compared to other blue cheeses. You’ll love it if you love blue cheese. It was fun to try but not for me.

Wine pairings at the cheese tasting class in Paris

These incredible eight kinds of cheese were paired with four unique red and white French wines.

• Domaine Font de Courtedune, Vieilles Vignes, Côtes du Rhône Villages 2019
• Domaine de Montcy Ligère Cheverny
• Domaine de Terra Vecchia a Paesana Ile de Beauté
• Chateau de Caraguilhes Cinsault Parcelle Le Jardin 

My husband and I love cheese, and we love wine.

Clearly, France was a perfect marriage.

The cheese tasting in Paris was certainly one of the highlights of our vacation. The tour was informative without being stuffy or pretentious. It was definitely a fun way to learn about the varieties of French cheeses and flavor profiles.

I feel I’m much more confident now when I walk into the local fromagerie looking for my next cheese to try thanks to Andres!

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Everything you need to know before you take a tour to France

Learn about the best cheese and wine tours in France, where the rich flavors of local food and exquisite wines come together in perfect harmony. Embark on a journey through the picturesque landscapes of this wine country, exploring the hidden gems of Helsinki and Turku.

Immerse yourself in the world of cheese and wine as you visit our partner wineries, offering unique and unforgettable tasting experiences. Indulge in the finest selection of cheeses, carefully paired with the region's renowned wines. From creamy Brie to tangy Roquefort, each bite will transport your taste buds to a world of culinary delight.

Discover the secrets behind the art of cheese making and the intricate process of wine production, as knowledgeable experts guide you through the nuances of flavor and aroma. Don't miss the opportunity to savor the authentic flavors of France. Book your cheese and wine tour now and embark on a gastronomic adventure that will leave you craving for more.

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Take a Cheese Tour of France

Photos & Text by Tania Teschke

Most people who think of the Tour de France think of the famous bike race. Here at MFCH, we prefer a more laid-back type of tour: discovering France’s cheeses!

Below, cookbook author Tania Teschke (author of The Bordeaux Kitchen , which appeared in the “MFCH Book Club” of our May/Jun 22 issue ) toured France this summer and put together a mini-guide to its many cheeses.

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France is charming for its distinct regional differences – be it landscapes, architecture, local dishes and wine or cheese. The old adage “what grows together, goes together” exemplifies the concept of terroir in France – that each product is a direct result of the different geography, climate and agricultural practices used to create it. 

How do you discover, much less govern, a country (as De Gaulle once asked) that produces hundreds of cheeses? The French Government’s answer is the AOP ( Appellations d’Origine Protégées ), an official designation that’s been given to only 45 cheeses in France, whose unique, local qualities are guaranteed by this label. Narrowing down hundreds of cheeses to 45 seems tragic to a cheese lover, but they are simply representatives of the country’s amazing cheese diversity.

Let’s start in Normandy, where dairy fat is king. Here, we encounter not only Camembert de Normandie , Livarot , Neufchâtel and Pont L’Évêque , but also the non-cheese AOP labels of Beurre d’Isigny – a rich, yellow butter – and Crème d’Isigny – a soft, velvety, rich and slightly yellow cream used in sauces (or eaten by the spoonful!). Among the Camemberts , only Camembert de Normandie has the AOP stamp of approval, creamy and pungent, with mushroomy aromas. Pair Camemberts and Bries with a red Saumur Champigny, a white chardonnay or a sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley. Livarot is a strong, semi-soft cheese with an orange rind wrapped in reeds to hold it together (the reeds form stripes that give it the nickname: “ Le Colonel ”). Pair it with a Calvados regional cider. Neufchâtel is heart-shaped, semi-soft and similar to a Camembert but milder and drier, with mushroomy aromas. Creamy Pont L’Évêque comes in a wooden box and is square-shaped, with a white-orange rind and a hay scent. Pair these two cheeses with a dry white wine from the Loire Valley.

Two of France’s most well-known cheeses, Brie and Camembert , are produced in many places, but only three kinds carry the AOP stamp of approval: Brie de Meaux , Brie de Melun and Camembert de Normandie . The real deal is Brie de Meaux – hailing from the town of Meaux in the Brie region of Île-de-France, not far from Paris – which is creamy, with mushroomy aromas, and comes in the form of a large wheel. Brie de Melun is a bit lighter on the flavor, comes in a smaller wheel and was created in the town of Melun (also in the Brie region). You’ll want to slice a fresh baguette and eat both of these with fig or apricot jam for a taste of heaven. Moving further north to the Thiérache region, bordering Belgium, we find Maroilles : square-shaped with an orange rind, strong in aroma and tangy in flavor. This is best paired with a local cider.

The Loire Valley

Heading southwest of Île-de-France into the Loire Valley and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, we encounter some of the best chèvres (goat cheeses) that France has to offer; slice up some pain de campagne (dark bread) or pain aux fruits secs (bread baked with dried fruit) and serve with walnuts or other nuts. 

Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine is a famous cylindrical chèvre rolled in ash (which you can eat) and is pierced through the middle with a piece of straw (remove this before eating). Try it mi-sec (semi-dry) affiné (aged) or fresh, when it is smooth and unctuous. Not pictured but worth mentioning is Chabichou du Poitou , which is creamy and slightly sweet with floral and herbal aromas. It comes in a cylindrical shape with a squiggly, edible rind and can be eaten fresh (moister) or aged (drier). 

Chavignol or Crottin de Chavignol, from the Loire Valley, with its light, goaty aromas, can either be eaten fresh and creamy or aged and dry. A recent discovery for me has been Selles-sur-Cher , which is also rolled in ash and can be crumbly or creamy, with an almost fruity aroma. Pair chèvres with a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, such as a crisp Pouilly-Fumé or a flinty Sancerre . Try an aged, chalkier Chavignol or other chèvres with stronger aromas with a dry, low-tannin Loire Valley red, such as a Sancerre Rouge. If we jog (or sprint) a bit east of the Loire Valley, we come to the Burgundy branch of cheeses, one chèvre of note being the aromatic Charolais –– raw goat’s milk cheese in the shape of a small column, lovely when paired with a red Beaujolais or a white Chablis.

Alsace-Moselle & Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Further east, we come to the Franche-Comté and Alsace-Moselle cheeses. Here, Comté is a well-known hard, unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese, aged in 45kg (99lb) wheels for up to 30 months. It is the French twin of the similarly fruity and nutty Swiss Gruyère . A typical cheese board will include two kinds of milk cheeses – cow, goat, or sheep – and include one soft cheese and one hard cheese (often Comté is the hard cheese of choice, everybody loves it and knows it). Morbier is a pungent, buttery, semi-soft cheese with a layer of ash in the middle, originally placed there for preservation between the morning and the evening milkings. The king of unctuousness would be the Jura’s Mont d’Or , a thick soft cheese preserved in a round wooden box. Serve Mont d’Or at room temperature or heat and eat with boiled potatoes. Pair both these cheeses with a regional white Jura wine, bien sûr ! 

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Traveling South from the Jura mountains to the alpine region of Savoie, we encounter L’Abondance , a hard, smooth cheese that tastes of buttermilk and marries well with apricot jam. Beaufort , a raw cow’s milk hard cheese, is melt-in-your-mouth creamy. Reblochon de Savoie has grassy and nutty flavors and is good for melting. Also worth mentioning is Tomme de Savoie : a mild, semi-soft, high-alpine cheese made from skim milk used for other cheeses and butter. Pair all of these with the regional white wines of Savoie.

Further North, we find the hard cow’s milk cheeses, Cantal , with rich, fatty texture and vegetal aromas –– great for grating –– and the dark yellow Salers, with its grassy aromas . Eat these on a fresh baguette with fig and apricot jams, and again, you have a heavenly combination! 

Also made from the milk of Salers cows is Saint Nectaire : a semi-soft, lightly sweet and fruity cheese, with notes of hay and mushroom, a brownish edible rind and a creamy texture. Pair both Cantal and Salers according to age – the older the cheese, the bolder the wine. Marry an earthy Saint-Nectaire with full-bodied, fruity red or white wines from Burgundy or the Rhône Valley.

In Auvergne, we also find the two blue cheeses Bleu d’Auvergne and Fourme d’Ambert . Bleu d’Auvergne is dry and crumbly, a rustic bleu that smells strongly of hay and stable. Fourme d’Ambert comes in a large 2 kg (4.4 lbs) cylinder, has a creamy texture and is the mildest in flavor of the French blue cheeses. Blue cheeses are paired best with sweet wines, such as a Jurançon moelleux, from the southwest.

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Who would not want to take a little side trip to Provence? The goat cheese Banon – easily recognizable by its unique packaging: wrapped in chestnut tree leaves and tied with raffia – is made here, where the dry, shrubby terrain is perfect for sheep and goats. Its mild flavor and creamy texture go well with pain aux fruits secs, like the chèvres mentioned earlier. Drizzle some local lavender honey over Banon for a sweet take, or some local Provençal olive oil for a savory one. 

Also located in the South of France are the caves where Roquefort – a semi-soft bleu cheese that melts in your mouth with fresh, bold mushroomy and buttery aromas and flavors. Pair it with a red wine from Languedoc-Roussillon or a sweet wine from the French southwest.

Occitiane & Nouvelle-Aquitaine

The Medieval town of Rocamadour is definitely worth a stop on our cheese tour. Beautifully hewn into a rocky hillside, it is located along the pilgrims’ route, Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. Rocamadour is a small circle of goat cheese brimming with flavor and creaminess, with light butter and nutty aromas. Pair it with a sweet or dry white wine or a light-bodied red wine from the area. 

The Basque area –– also located in the French southwest, from the Atlantic coast into the Pyrénées mountains –– produces the lovely sheep cheese Ossau Iraty . Lanolin-scented, with a thick rind, this hard cheese is often served for dessert alongside local dark cherry confiture (jam). This cherry jam, incidentally, is a traditional topping for fromage frais (a fresh, soft cheese made from sheep milk in the Basque Country) but also goes with other favorites: Brillat-Savarin (a triple cream, semi-soft cheese ), Tomme de Brebis (sheep cheese), Comté and Emmental , for example. Pair Ossau-Iraty with regional wines from the southwest: a sweet Jurançon or a white Basque Irouléguy for a younger cheese, or a red Irouléguy for an aged.

Next time you’re in France, discover an amazing palette of flavors and aromas as you travel through the regions and encounter all these varieties. One last thing to remember – in France, cheese is served after the meal, in lieu of or before dessert; remember to serve cheeses at room temperature, and, when cutting them, to allow each piece to have a bit of rind. Bon appétit !

Tania is the author & photographer of the award-winning cookbook, The Bordeaux Kitchen: An Immersion into French Food and Wine, Inspired by Ancestral Traditions . Learn more at www.bordeauxkitchen.com

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CHEESE AND WINE TASTING IN PARIS

Fun cheese tastings taught in English by certified cheesemongers

Contact us if you are interested in organizing a cheesy event for a group

Simply the best cheese tasting in town!

Our tasting includes:

• 2-hours with an English-speaking certified and passionate cheese monger
• 6 farmstead French cheeses
• carefully and beautifully paired with 3 wines
• 2 different types of bread, award-winning jams, honeys, candied pepper, coffee jellies...
• A cheese tasting book

Become a certified Cheese Geek in a fun, informative two-hour session to discover the wonderful world of French cheeses.

We’ll start with a handful of explorative exercises using our five senses to get to know each other around our wooden, farm table. Then, we’ll take you on a Tour de France through the best of cheese-producing regions, tasting six artisanal cheeses paired with an eclectic collection of beverages from wine, cider, beer, juice, to port along with delicious condiments: jams and jellies, honey and even candied peppers.

You'll learn a lot with our experts: from the making of cheese to how they are aged, stored and enjoyed as well as how to cut, serve and buy France's favorite food group. You'll also receive your own Cheese Geek Tasting Book with notes, and fun facts.

We have great reviews!

#3 of 266 Classes & Workshops Read 280+ reviews

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#1 Cheese Tasting on Airbnb Read 420+ reviews

WHAT TO EXPECT WITH LE CHEESE GEEK

Fabrice and his cheesemonger friends are here to offer you the best cheese and beverage tasting in Paris!

How do we do it? Our secret is:

A choice selection

Artisanal cheeses are paired with unique beverages (wine, beer, cider, liquors, juices...)

A small group

Ten fellas maximum to make sure we're having fun all together

With a Cheese Geek

A certified cheesemonger that knows his stuff and will show you that cheese is funny!

LE CHEESE GEEK TASTING

There is cheese, and other stuff.

A tasting costs 70€ per adult and 60€ per child, people say it's definitely worth the price. Take a look at all what you'll get!

The best way to learn is by having fun, right?

We will meet in a cheese shop, you will be surrounded by cheeses. After a cheesy but necessary ceremonial, we will sit at the big farm table and learn how to taste cheese like experts, through creative and entertaining group games. You’ll then be ready to go on a "Tour de Fromage" of six artisanal farm cheeses, each paired with six unique beverages (wine but also beer, cider, sweet wines and juices) to discover major French cheese terroirs.

500+ POSITIVE REVIEWS FROM OUR GUESTS

We're damn proud that more than 95% of our guests gave us a 5-stars review. Still aiming at 100% though!

250+ five star reviews on

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Amanda on TripAdvisor

Favorite Experience in Paris!

Our cheese tasting with Le Cheese Geek was one of our favorite experiences in Paris! We loved Fabrice, tasted MIND-BLOWING cheeses, and washed it down with plenty of wine and beer. Super fun experience for professional foodies or just cheese-loving beginners!

Wander on TripAdvisor

Awesome! Let Cheese Geek!!

We were with Ashley and she was FABULOUS. Cheese nerd but stand up comic. Her punchlines just kept coming non-stop. The table was set up beautifully. The cheese cave was nothing like I imagined. So cool. We played games and then started our 6 cheeses with red wine, white wine, beer, cider, port wine, and one other I can’t remember! We had cheese that ranged from milder and creamy to sharper and dryer and some very aggressive tastes too! The Camembert and Roquefort were my favorite. To accompany there wet mini sausages, three types of bread, and a fruit platter! I can’t say enough about this experience and Ashley. Don’t miss it! I don’t want to post pics because it will ruin the awe!

Amy on Tripadvisor

A Highlight of A Fabulous Trip

We were four women in France for a birthday trip. We absolutely loved our Le Cheese Geek experience. Ashley was bright, charming, and knowledgeable. And the CHEESE -- unbelievable. The tasting was of 6 cheeses over the course of about 2 hours in the basement of a cheese shop. Cheeses were paired with wine, beer and other drinks, and served with bread. Ashley told us about the cheese industry and each of the cheeses we tasted. Truly a don't-miss experience in Paris.

Axel on Tripadvisor

Awesome cheese tasting

Awesome cheese tasting We had an AWESOME time with my girlfriend! This was THE highlight of our trip in Paris! We’re used to get cheese in SF but nothing tasted like the cheeses we got! Fabrice was super entertaining, welcoming and funny! 100% recommended for all cheese lovers in Paris and people who want to spend a friendly time and want to get the best cheeses and wines

Pictures taken by our young cheese padawans

A perfect location to taste cheese in paris.

We're happy to welcome you in our partner's cheese shop. The location is perfectly tailored to make sure you will be immersed in a world of cheese and will enjoy your tasting at its best. A giant black board, maps, magazines and books...about cheese of course! The cheeses you're tasting are quietly maturing in our cave below the shop! As cheese geeks, you will have the possibility to purchase all the cheeses, wines and delicatessen you've tried during your tasting in our micro cheese shop.

To learn cheese tasting rules

During our two hours together, you will learn the basics of cheese tasting :

the three steps for a professional cheese tasting (visual, olfactory and gustatory) through mini game and group workshops;

rules and tricks to understand how to pair your cheese with wine and other beverages such as beer, cider, juices or liquors;

ideas to choose your bread to accompany the cheese;

And taste great cheeses while travelling through France

You will, of course, taste some great French cheese, from the classics (Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, Saint-Nectaire, Comté, Camembert de Normandie, Munster, Roquefort, …) to less famous cheeses, made by small-scale producers.

The cheese selection changes every time according to seasons, supplies and agings.

Each cheese will be carefully paired with a unique beverage(wines but also beer, cider, juices, port wine, and some surprises!), to give you a good idea of all the pairing possibilities cheese has to offer.

During the tasting, we will also use a map of France to discover the main cheese making regions : goat cheese in the Loire Valley , hard cheeses from Jura and Savoie mountains, sheep’s milk cheeses from Occitanie, and the Auvergne, a cheese plate itself!.

We will take time to discussevery cheese: anecdotes about its origins, its making, stories of the producer. Then we will taste it together and go through the tasting: describe its texture, its taste, and aromatic profile, too.

Each guest will have its little “Le Cheese Geek Tasting Book” to keep track of all the cheese he’s tasting.

See you very soon for a pretty cheesy adventure !

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Cheese and Wine tasting in Paris

The cheese tasting takes place in our brand new tasting room - La Cheese Room located in the hip and colorful rue Sainte-Marthe in Paris.

During our two hours tasting, you will learn about the 3 steps to  taste a cheese properly.   We will then go on a Tour de Fromage: 6 cheeses paired with 6 unique beverages to discover French main cheese regions and discuss about the cheesemakers behind the cheese, the making and the aging, our cheese flavor profile. You will leave the tasting with a good knowledge of the cheese world, a satisfied belly and hopefully, a smile on your face!

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If you want to learn more about the most famous sparkling wine of the World, you would love this tasting workshop ! In an exceptional champagne cellar located in the heart of the “Quartier Latin” in Paris, you will discover the secrets of the Champagne method and learn the subtleties of the food and champagne pairings. .

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Savor the best of the French gastronomy during a gourmet tour in Paris: with an expert food guide, discover the shops of several French Chefs and best French craftsmen, who received the award Meilleur Ouvrier de France. 

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In a typical Parisian place which offers a wine cellar and a bar in the historic heart of Paris, you will discover in an original way the best wines of the French wine-producing regions!

Christmas Market Tour in Paris

During the holiday season, Paris hosts some of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the world. Our French food expert offers guided walking tours and tastings at the gourmet Christmas markets in Paris to discover traditional Christmas specialties!

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Hélène et José, touristes de Nouvelle Calédonie

« Nous avons eu l'immense privilège de visiter le Marché de RUNGIS. Tout était parfait de la prise en charge à 4h du matin à notre appartement parisien au petit déjeuner rungissois pantagruélique! Trop bien ! Nous avons visité tous les pavillons sans exception! Carole est très gentille et d'un grand professionnalisme ! Cette visite qui restera inoubliable! Nous la recommandons à tous ! 

Shawna, Chambre Franco Américaine

« Nous avons fait appel à La Route des Gourmets pour deux prestations : l'organisation d'un buffet autour du thème de la Gastronomie Française pour une quarantaine de boursiers américains séjournant en France, et une visite guidée du marché d'aligre. L'organisation du buffet s'est très bien déroulée, les plats choisis étaient délicieux! Nos convives ont été vraiment ravis. Pour la visite du marché d'aligre fut également super ! Les commerces choisis pour les dégustations étaient excellents, chaleureux et professionnels. Une belle découverte de la gastronomie française pour nos boursiers américains ! »

Nadine, de l'Ile de la Réunion

« Notre balade du 23 septembre fut très gourmande et joyeuse dans le beau quartier de St Germain. Grâce à Carole nous avons découvert des rues et quartiers peu connus des touristes que nous sommes et surtout de belles adresses culinaires. Nos papilles de Réunionnais en furent ravies. Un grand merci à Carole pour son professionnalisme et sa gentillesse. »

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Wine & Cheese Tour around Annecy

Discover the wines and cheeses around Annecy, learn more about the locally sourced products in which you can truly taste the freshness of the Alps!

What awaits you during this activity : Wine & Cheese Tour around Annecy

Your guide for this activity in the Alps : Quentin

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The Best Loire Goat Cheeses and Perfect Wine Pairings

There are 48 kinds of cheese in France with the protected AOC status – and six of them are in the Loire Valley. They go quite well with local wines, and all of them are goat cheeses .

• Valençay cheese with red Sancerre
• Crottin de Chavignol with a crisp white Quincy wine
• Chabichou du Poitou Try a Pouilly Fumé
• Pouligny St. Pierre with Rosé d’Anjou
• Selles-sur-Cher with Muscadet
• Sainte-Maure de Touraine with red Chinon

When you visit the Loire Valley , France, enjoy the region’s famous cheeses.

Nearly 1300 years ago, when the Arabs were defeated at the famous Battle of Tours in 732 by Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne, they left their goats in this region ! This is how goat cheese was born, from an unlikely souvenir of the Arab settlers.

Most French meals end with a choice of cheeses, and three is the usual selection . So you may want to add to Loire Valley goat cheeses, by including a soft Brie or Camembert, and for contrast, a pressed farmhouse cheese, such as a Cantal, similar to Cheddar.  Here are some suggestions for wines to accompany your cheese course. These wines are not expensive, mostly under $20 per bottle.

Discover our Loire Valley Tours Here

Loire Valley Goat Cheeses by Region, and Wines to Pair With Them

• It has an unusual truncated pyramid shape . (Napoleon is said to have lopped off the top of a Valençay because the shape reminded him of his defeat in Egypt!) It has a unique rather nutty flavor when mature .
• A good Loire Valley pairing is a red Sancerre, made from Pinot Noir grapes, but perhaps not as full-bodied as a red Burgundy.
• It has a mild, balanced flavor, neither sweet nor sour, and pairs well with a crisp white Quincy wine. First noted in 1120, these wines, made from both Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris grapes, are delicate and citrusy.
• Try a Pouilly Fumé, made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Some say they have been first grown in this very region. It is a dry white wine not to be confused with the white Burgundy made from Chardonnay grapes, Pouilly Fuissé.
• You won’t be able to resist it with fresh French bread and a dab of Normandy butter.
• Try it with a Rosé d’Anjou wine? This is a refreshing combination.
• A fresh, crisp wine, perhaps a white Muscadet sur lie , is refreshing and rather neutral. It’s the perfect foil for more assertive foods. (It also goes perfectly with Eastern Shore foods such as crabs.)
• Enjoy it with a glass of red Chinon wine, made from Cabernet Franc grapes . Local producers are proud of this grape, which is also the base of many fine Bordeaux wines.

Another no-fail option:  Saumur Mousseux, a white sparkler made from Chenin Blanc grapes. This is a flavorful wine produced according to a champagne process which the makers are forbidden to call as such since they are not in the Champagne region. Enjoy a glass – we’ll never tell!

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40 Iconic French Cheeses Mapped

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French cheeses are prized around the world and with upwards of 300 distinct varieties to choose between most people have a few familiar favourites. However, what can be more challenging is pinpointing where they come from on a map, and when it comes to French cheese, this is all important.

Fortunately, the folk at  Vinepair  have helped us get started with their fun cheese map (below) locating 40 iconic French cheeses  around the hexagon. So whether you want to take a strategic cheese tour, and follow your nose starting with a creamy Brie de Meaux in the north navigating your way to a pungent blue Roquefort in the south, or simply impress with your cheese geography, it's time to mark your favourites.

The identity of most French cheeses is inextricably linked to their terroir, or their land of provenance, which gives them their unique organoleptic qualities. In fact, 56 French cheeses are classified Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), meaning that they are regulated under French law to the highest level of protection.

What that means for cheese fans is that they are guaranteed the genuine taste of their favourite fromage, which will have been made to a traditional method in their designated locality. This is where the cheese map comes in....

Find out how to slice up your cheese here

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My top restaurants and food discoveries from 20 years of writing about France

From roadside picnics to Michelin-star restaurants, the former editor of France magazine picks her most memorable foodie moments My favourite places to visit in France

S tandout moments from nearly 20 years of writing about travelling and eating around France include meals in legendary restaurants and the joy of a shared dinner at a chambre d’hôtes . That said, there’s a venue that can’t be underestimated as an opportunity to enjoy France’s culinary delights: the car boot picnic.

Standing under the shade of an open car boot, I have discovered some products so delicious they didn’t make it as far as a gîte kitchen or dining table. It might have been a chunk of comté so fruity it didn’t get beyond the car park on market day. There was the punnet of gariguette strawberries bought from a farm in Brittany’s Plougastel-Daoulas, famous for its microclimate. My family and I each took a bite and stared unbelievingly at each other – the sweetness was off the scale.

“Have they dipped them in sugar water?” asked my husband.

“I think this is what strawberries are supposed to taste like,” I replied. We scoffed the rest in the queue for the ferry at Roscoff.

Then there were the jars of Chantilly cream. In the town famous for the crème de la crème (and lace and horse-racing), we did a workshop at the Atelier de la Chantilly , learning how to make the perfect batch by hand from Bernard, a member of the Brotherhood of Chantilly Cream Whippers. We took away two jars, safely stored in the car’s plug-in cool box. Later that afternoon, en route to Lorraine, we stopped at an aire (roadside picnic spot) and spooned the cream over bowls of mirabelle plums and raspberries for a decadent picnic as motorhomes and Lycra-clad cyclists whizzed past us on the road.

Two weeks into that same trip, our car boot became a makeshift dressing room as we prepared for a much more sophisticated meal. After a swim in the Alpine Lac du Bourget at Aix-les-Bains, we brushed off the sand and each retrieved our one remaining clean outfit (it was our last stop on the road trip before a gîte with a washing machine) and I tried to spruce myself up with makeup in the sun visor mirror before ambling up the elegant drive to the restaurant at Hotel L’Incomparable .

As we stepped on to the terrace, the panoramic view of the lake made my heart soar, and soon chef Antoine Cevoz Mamy was treating us to his ingenious twists on dishes made with lake fish, such as freshwater lavaret served with a pop of yuzu and slender carrots flavoured with cumin. I wasn’t surprised when he gained his first Michelin star a few months later.

The Michelin Guide , synonymous with French cuisine, was launched more than a century ago, with the original purpose of encouraging people to venture further afield in their new motorcars (and wear out the company’s tyres). In the past few decades, it has also become a byword for extravagance and high-end dining, but there are ways to use the guide on a budget.

The lesser Bib Gourmand rating system has pointed me towards many an excellent meal, and the lunchtime menu du jour offered at one-star establishments can be startlingly good value. Meanwhile, many multi-star chefs also operate more casual dining establishments that are very affordable.

In Roanne, north-east of Lyon, I booked a table at Le Central ; it’s in the house opposite the railway station formerly occupied by Maison Troisgros, which has held three Michelin stars longer than any restaurant. The Troisgros family moved the main restaurant to chic new premises in the nearby village of Ouches in 2017 and opened Le Central , a sophisticated brasserie serving modern twists on French classics. The fillet of salmon with beurre blanc sauce and chives was sublime. The most delightful moment, though, was spotting Pierre Troisgros – one of the two brothers who put the restaurant on the map, and who died at the age of 92 just a few months later – dining with friends in the corner.

On the other side of the country, on the Île de Noirmoutier off the Atlantic coast, a meal at La Table d’Elise , Alexandre Couillon ’s bistro next door to his three-star restaurant La Marine, lingers in the memory. The delicate dishes, such as tender asparagus and mussels adorned with stripy beetroot sliced so finely it was transparent, showcased the island’s exceptional produce. It was a superb introduction to this wonderfully foodie destination: the Atlantic coast island enjoys a microclimate where ozone-infused air and seaweed-fertilised soil and salt pans are a boon for potatoes and other produce.

A trip to a market on Noirmoutier saw us scooping up boxes of bonnotte potatoes and gargantuan custard tarts called flans maraîchins . Later that week, we cycled through the salt pans, the evening sun reflecting in the many rectangular pools, and slurped oysters just metres from where they were grown – it was my dad’s first platter, enjoyed at the age of 74.

Sometimes you need a helping hand to discover a city’s food scene, to find the locals’ favourites rather than the tourist traps. In Toulouse, Jessica Hammer’s excellent Taste of Toulouse tour introduced us to the exceptional produce on offer at the Marché Victor Hugo, such as top-notch charcuterie and a “Paris-Toulouse”, a violet-flavoured riff on the Paris-Brest choux pastry dessert, as well as enticing patisseries and a fromagerie nearby.

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In Bordeaux, student Chloe, from tour firm Do Eat Better , led an excellent day which saw us wine-tasting, biting into heady rum-infused canelé (caramelised cork-shaped pastries) and a great lunch at Berthus .

In Paris, a cheese tour and tasting with Jennifer Greco from Paris By Mouth spirited us to every region of France through the incredible flavours of her expertly chosen cheeses, matched to superb wines throughout.

The best tour I’ve found, however, was not the usual urban stroll. Under the bright sunlight of Brittany’s Emerald Coast , I squelched around in muddy sand exploring the oyster beds at Cancale with Ostreika Tours . At low tide, the oyster-growing racks stretch out towards the horizon for half a mile (at high tide, they disappear under the sea) and former oyster farmer Inga Smyczynski revealed the fascinating world of les huîtres : how they’re grown and their history in this area. We finished with a platter from the beachside oyster market, slurping them back and throwing the shells on to the beach where they help to steady the shifting sands.

As well as having excellent markets and food shops, the French are experts in celebrating their local specialities, and there are weird and wonderful festivals throughout the year in every corner of the country. In Roscoff, Brittany, a party is thrown in honour of the region’s gently flavoured pink onions each August, La Fête de l’Oignon (24-25 this year). It celebrates the history of the Onion Johnnies, the armies of door-to-door onion sellers who toured Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries and gave rise to the Brits’ stereotypical image of the Frenchman: beret, Breton striped shirt, onions draped over the handlebars. The festival is a wonderful glimpse into local traditions, with onion-string-plaiting contests, fest-noz (a kind of Breton ceilidh) dancing, and the delicious speciality galette-saucisse (sausage in a buckwheat pancake with confit onions on top).

French food festivals can be wildly ambitious, too. Take the Fête de l’Omelette Géante in Bessières near Toulouse. Every Easter Monday, the Knights of the Global Brotherhood of the Giant Omelette (there are six other such festivals around the world – it’s like a twinning association of giant omelettes) crack 15,000 eggs and make an omelette in a four-metre frying pan to feed 2,000 people. It was surprisingly delicious, too.

The best party I’ve found, though, was the Fête de la Figue in Solliès-Pont, east of Marseille. The Gapeau valley is perfect for growing figs – locals say the sprawling trees love having their feet in water and their heads in sunshine, so the River Gapeau and the Provençal sun do the trick. There is a market and parade, tastings and walks through the fig orchards, and the opening night was one hell of a party. A four-course meal, each dish made with figs (a fig salad, beef daube with figs, cheese with figs, fig tart), is served to lines of tables in the fairy-lit village square, with candles shining out from the church windows and door. The band played and locals danced into the early hours.

Carolyn Boyd is the author of Amuse Bouche (Profile Books, £18.99), out on 6 June. To pre-order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply

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