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The oldest traditional French blue cheese, is made from raw sheep’s milk and matured in the ancient underground caves of the Cambalou plateau.
One of the most identifiable of France’s benchmark cheeses, Roquefort received the first AOC in 1925, recognising the strict criteria for production. The harsh dry land of the Massif provides an environment suitable to sheep farming, whilst the naturally formed limestone caves create the ideal microclimate for encouraging mould formation.
Under AOC regulation, only raw milk from the Lacaune ewe can be used from a designated area around the town of Roquefort sur Soulzon. Each autumn, highly baked loaves of rye bread are inoculated with Penicillium Roqueforti and then left in the caves for 40 days to grow the distinctive moulds. The loaves are ground into a fine powder and used to seed the young curds during cheese making.
The famous Papillon Butterfly brand now represents more than 12% of all Roquefort produced and is well known for its consistently moist ivory texture interspersed with striking steely blue moulds. After 14 days in the cave, the wheels are then aged for a minimum of 4 -5 months, so the cultures can continue to develop their characteristic complexity of flavour and veining. Powerful, rich, with a creamy mouthfeel and spicy finish.
Available in 2 formats:
675g wedge Papillon Roquefort AOP 675g Calendar Cheese Note 705388
100g slice Papillon Roquefort AOP 100g Calendar Cheese Note 705387