Époisses is technically a soft cheese, very creamy, but with a chewy and firm texture. Spicy as well as meaty, salty and with hints of earthiness and nuts, this is by all accounts a complex and powerfully rich flavour.

Ranked fourth smelliest cheese in the world. Part of the reason for this distinctive nose is the traditional process of smear ripening the cheese and utilising milk coagulation. The cheese is initially washed in a salty, brine water, then left in a humid cellar. After a month the cheese is then repeatedly washed and rinsed with a mixture of water and a traditional French brandy, Marc de Bourgogne’s, two to three times a week for six weeks – until fully mature.

France - cow's milk - unpasteurised