The Fine Cheese Co. Guide to Heart-isan Cheeses

Baron Bigod I Love You

 

The Heart of Gold. Smooth and silky with a golden interior that will ooze onto your plate. Jonny Crickmore is the farmer and cheesemaker, and he works by hand. His herd of Montbeliarde cows are partial to a relaxing massage (aren’t we all) after a hard day’s grazing.

This cheese is full of rich, lingering flavours and mushroomy notes and can be found in our “Your Song” selection.


Burt’s Blue Heart

 

The Pierced Heart. At a few weeks old, Claire Burt will ‘pierce’ these hearts by hand. To have your heart pierced by one of Cupid’s arrows will lead to feelings of love and desire, but in this case, it leads to the development of utterly irresistible veins of blue throughout the cheese’s creamy paste…and more than a little desire as well.

Rich and buttery, sweet and gentle, Claire Burt’s Blue Heart can also be found in the “Your Song”.


Barquette de Coupigny

 

The Two Hearts Are Better Than One. Neufchâtel cheeses are Normandy’s oldest cheeses, outdating the likes of Camembert, Livarot and Brillat-Savarin. It is said that French dairy maids would present these cheeses to English soldiers during the Hundred Years’ war as a way of expressing their love through the language barrier.

Petite, perfectly formed and oh-so creamy, this tantalising twosome can be found in the “Stand By Me” selection.


Sharpham Heart

 

The Delicate Heart. Made in Devon, with a recipe similar to that of Brie. The Jersey cows of the Sharpham Estate graze on the lush water meadows in the Dart valley, and have a fabulous diet that leads to a milk with all the richness you’d expect from the Jersey breed, yet with a delicate and creamy taste in this delightful heart-shaped cheese.

Soft and unctuous, find this heart in the “Feast My Love" selection.


Coeur de Berry Affine Chevre

 

The Change of Heart. In a break from the cows’ milk cheeses up to now, we turn to a stunning goats’ milk cheese from the incomparable Loire Valley. This famous region of France has given rise to possibly the world’s greatest goats’ milk cheeses, including Valençay, a pyramid-shaped cheese that Napoleon is said to have struck with his sabre, due to the painful memories it evoked of his torrid time on campaign in Egypt. Coeur de Berry can more than hold its own in stellar company, and has a clean, bright and tangy taste with a dense and creamy texture. Battle to secure yours in the “Halo” hamper selection.


Sharpham Rustic Heart

 

The Heart of Harts. The founder of Sharpham, an award-winning wine and cheese maker based in Devon, was called John Hart. It is in his honour that the range of cheese-shaped hearts are often labelled as ‘Sharpham Harts’. This lovingly-made version of Sharpham Rustic has a crumbly texture, and a fresh and lactic taste.