It’s winter, it’s cold, it’s wet, you need comfort food to keep you going – well then, I have just the answer, it’s called raclette CHEESE!

A few facts about raclette, the iconic alpine cheese, it’s a rich and mild semi-hard cheese. Plain and natural, it’s a cows milk, crafted without the use of additives or flavourings. It’s a non cooked pressed cheese, with a smooth yellow to brown rind. Raclette is only made in the Savoie region of France, although it’s country of origin is Switzerland. A farm produced raclette will have a green sticker, a dairy version a red sticker, the ageing time is 3-6 months. A non GM feed is given to the cows and the 6kilo wheels are made from unpasteurised or slightly heated milk.

The modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small non stick pans, in which to melt slices of the cheese. This is accompanied by a large pot of steamed or boiled potatoes, that you pour your melted cheese over. Also, on the table you will have platters of cured meats, small pickled onions and gherkins, with a large green salad and plenty of white Savoy wine. This type of meal is all about sharing, socialising and dining in a relaxed atmosphere, sometimes lasting hours on end.

My next few blogs will be about the different cheese we use in the Savoie region, especially over the winter months – Reblochon, Tomme de Savoie, Chevrotin, Beaufort and many, many, more.