Briely Delicious!

Just like “Cheddar” encompasses a number of cheeses that have a similar composition, “Brie” also has a number of forms. There is the bloomy rind soft cheese that we are most familiar with – we bake it, add it to pasta or a sandwich but there is also the double and triple creams.

This latter group have extra cream added to the curd (60% for the double and 75% for the triple) and of course that creates a richer soft ripened cheese – Tuxedo is a triple cream as is Brillat-Savarin.

Finally, there is the wash-rind soft-ripened cheeses such as Époisse and Vacherin Mont d’Or which have that distinctive odour which some find difficult to navigate but really it is true, the stinkier the cheese, the better!

Whatever is your preference, it is important to understand that Brie or Soft Ripened cheese requires a maturation period. They are only starting to achieve their very best in terms of flavour and creaminess at the Best Before Date....that is why I dislike these methods of dating as most consumers do not understand what they mean. This leads to a great deal of food waste. Brie when it is off will have an acidy taste, kind of “fizzy” in the mouth – you will know!