Four good places to find mimolette cheese

Mimolette actually originated in the Lille region. It was developed at the end of the 17th century, at a time when protectionism was de rigueur and the import of foreign cheeses was forbidden. To imitate Dutch Edam, French producers created this cheese - whose name derives from the term "mi-mollet", in reference to its pressed, uncooked, semi-soft, semi-hard paste. It is the rocou, the fruit extracted from the rocouyer tree, a natural coloring agent mixed with the cheese's milk, which gives it its characteristic orange hue.

Mimolette, also known as "boule de Lille", matures for varying lengths of time.The rind becomes lumpy and the paste brittle.

Three good places to buy mimolette

Mimolette is more of a summer cheese if eaten young (less than three months maturing), delivering a delicious nutty flavor. As it matures, it takes on more complex notes of brioche and roast, with a delicate hint of bitterness. Here are three good addresses.

César Losfeld ❤

In 1871, the family business started with the sale of cheeses, followed by maturing in 1904, which would find its "running train" by 1975. Hundred-year-old cellars house over 100,000 matured cheeses every year. In 2018, the family took over production of the cheeses, which remain in the Hauts-de-France fold: made in Maroilles and matured in Roubaix.

Tasting notes: A lovely, evolved cheese appearance, an appetizing in-between color, a beautiful deep orange. The nose is straightforward, not very strong, with hints of autumn fruit and fruit paste. On the palate, a well-ripened cheese with a chewy texture. A well-balanced, distinctive taste, with character and long-lasting aroma.

• Aged 6 months
• Price: 23.50 euros per kg (approx.)
• 15, rue du Luxembourg, 59100 Roubaix

GAEC du Pont Neuf

In 2016, Tristan Avet and his parents set up a workshop to transform milk into mature cheeses: mimolette, Éplessier tomme with wild garlic or smoked with beech sawdust, "P'Avet" (soft cheese with a washed rind)... Én addition, fresh cream, butter, yoghurts and dairy desserts provide new outlets for several generations on an exclusively dairy farm.

Tasting notes: Pale apricot-orange in color, with a clean, appetizing nose that makes you want to bite into it. The palate is soft and supple, with a taste of dried fruit and hazelnut. A good, balanced young product.

• Aged 10 weeks.
• Price: 25 euros per kg
• 24, rue Principale - 80290 Éplessier

La Fromagerie d'Isa

Isabelle Deleglise Leduc, undergoing professional retraining, has taken over the family business, producing cheeses made from whole raw milk. Mimolette, pavé du Wint, "Carré d'Isa" and fromage frais complete a range extended by cider produced cider made from apples grown in the orchard, and mushrooms from the mushroom farm, activities managed on site by his brothers. All AB-certified products are sold on site.

Tasting notes: Typical allure of a good-standard cheese. The nose is fairly dairy, with little evidence of fermentation. The palate is soft and supple, a little sticky in texture, slightly lacking in character, but consensual and flawless.

• Aged 4 months.
• Price 26 euros per kg
• 21, rue du Wint - 62240 Brunembert
• www.lafermeduwint.fr

Les Frères Bernard - Fromagerie Sainte-Godeleine

The Bernard clan's cheese-making business was launched in 1984 with a small cabri made on the premises. Antoine, the eldest son, had set off on a bicycle tour of France to meet producers, and had returned home "bursting" with plans to create new cheeses from local dairy produce. Joined in 2001 by his brother Joachim, the dairy produces classics, specialties such as Camembert du Boulonnais, and yoghurts. Visits and sales on site.

Tasting notes: A classic mimolette, with a fine nose, not very strong, smooth and straightforward in appearance, with a flawless orange cut. The texture is supple and dry at the same time, lacking a little mellowness. The palate is clean, a little pasty, but without reproach.

• Aged between 3 and 6 months.
• Price: 24.50 euros per kg
• Route de Belle - 62720 Wierre-Effroy
• www.lesfreresbernard.fr