The background to St Marcellin cheese

Try something new Tuesday

As we get ready to throw open our doors again and welcome you back we can’t wait to share with you some of the fabulous ingredients that we use in our favourite dishes. 

There is one ingredient that we love so much that you will find it appearing not in only in our starters but also in our desserts section and that is St Marcellin cheese. 

From the Rhône-Alpes region of France, St Marcellin cheese is delicate in structure but packs a punch on the flavour front. Served in individual terracotta pots this cheese is made from cow’s milk and is aged for only one month giving it a silky smooth texture and nutty mushroom flavour. 

Production of this cheese dates back to at least the 15^th century when, legend has it, the future Louis XI was separated from his hunting party and was confronted by a hungry bear. Local woodsmen distracted the bear from the future monarch by giving the bear some of their local cheese. Louis then spread word of this wonderful cheese through his court to France and beyond. Even today, however, only a small number of farms and creameries produce this wonderful cheese. 

So delicate is this cheese the rind is almost transparent at room temperature and non-existent once warmed making it a perfect little pot of creamy deliciousness into which you can dip crusty bread or crackers. 

We like to serve St Marcellin warm as a starter with crusty bread and truffled honey to start – a match made in heaven! For dessert (or as a separate cheese course) we serve it at room temperature with dried apricots and crackers. It goes equally well though with a number of fruits such as crisp apple, barely ripe pears or even melon. It also goes, naturally, well with a cheeky glass of fruity, spicy red wine such as Les Deux Albions from Cotes du Rhône or Les Roches Beaujolais Villages from Burgundy. However you choose to try this wonderful treat, it’s a must try when you when you visit us next!