88. Eat French cheese and drink French wine in France

Where else to eat French cheese and drink French wine but in France!

A recent trip to Normandy delivered a tasty culinary delight and importantly broadened my knowledge and appreciation for the region’s cheeses and complimentary wines.

Normandy is well known for its soft creamy cheeses, with Camembert being its most famous export. However there is a wide range of lesser known cheeses with Livarot and Pont l’Evêque two of the more popular products of the region.

If you’ve ever wanted to see how cheese is made, a stop at the Fromagerie E.Graindorge cheese factory is a must see with delightful regional specialities to sample at Le Village Fromager at the end of the tour. You can find this cheese haven at the edge of the town of Livarot.

Despite a relatively strong smell, Livarot has a creamy texture with a pleasant taste. The Livarot cheese is also locally known as "Colonel" because of the stripes on its rind resulting from the sedge leaves wrapped around each cheese to prevent the weakest pastes from collapsing.

French Pont l’Evêque cheese is solely produced in Normandy, recognizable by its small square shape and pale orange rind and is quite like a camembert in flavour.

Of course a good French cheese needs a decent beverage to cleanse the pallet. We preferred a lovely bottle of Côtes du Rhône, which complimented our cheese purchases perfectly.

Given the abundance of apples in the regions, Normans may prefer to compliment their cheese with a drop of Calvados (a local brandy created from apples) or a glass of locally produced cider.

Whatever your preference, you won’t go home disappointed with the gastronomic delights on offer in this famous French region.

(On a separate note, we also spent a couple of days visiting the D-day sites and saw the Bayeux Tapestry – other must sees in Normandy)