This is the title of a ‘feel good’ book which takes place in the center of Paris. And where love and cheese play equally big parts of the book. Just the right mix for a romantic cheese lover.
It all began with comté…
Australian Ella is heartbroken. She decides to get away – and why not go to Paris where she had her first bit of a fruity and nutty comté and so many other happy memories… Suddenly and with a one-way ticket in her hand, she is in Paris. Searching for a job, an apartment and happiness… and wouldn’t the best way be to start with some cheese? She meets Paris through the cosy cafés (and their cheese plates) and of course she finds her favorit cheese monger. We follow Ella through her first year – and in her company we go through a lot of cheeses 🙂
I’m telling you: If you’re in to cheese, Paris and romance – you’ll love this book!
Normally, dairies are quite close to the source of milk, and this is most often in the countryside. I have just been to France (Normandy and Pays de la Loire) and therefore I do know how many miles or kilometers you sometimes have to drive to reach the dairies…
But in recent years, small dairies are popping up in Paris. In the middle of the big city and far away from the milk animals. These urban dairies are an attraction per se and consumers as well as local restaurants happily buy their products.
Use the addresses below and go see for yourself next time in Paris.
Stop #1: Laiterie de Paris
In the neighborhood of La Goutte d’Or (close to Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement) you find the first Parisian dairy. Run by the young Frenchman Pierre Coulon. He used to work in the legendary cheese store Maison Androut as well as being a cheese maker on his own farm with goats and sheep in West France.
Now he is back in Paris and since the end of 2017 he has made yoghurt, butter and cheese (mainly fresh cheese) of organic cow, goat and sheep milk from Bretagne and the Seine Maritime region. Besides his own cheeses, the shop carries an assortment of other delicous cheeses as well as beer, wine, jam and honey to accompany the cheeses.
Not so far away you find another small dairy with a slightly different philosophy. Paul Zindy recieves milk four times a week from farms just outside Paris (and therefore his cheeses are made of cow milk). His focus is local which you can also see in the name of the cheeses. For instance Dormoy which is the name of a nearby metro station. His raw milk cheeses mature on wooden planks and can be seen from the street as well as from the inside of the shop.
Workshop: Make your own tommette
Laiterie La Chapelle now invites you to join them in the dairy, put on your apron and learn to make your own cheese. In small groups (3-5 persons) you will make a tommette (small hard cheese). After three months of maturation, you can pick up your cheese and taste the result. Read more and book here (in French).
When I researched for this blog post, I came across this urban dairy in the 11th arrondissement. They make mozzarella from raw bufala milk from Auvergne. Nanina is the name, and it is on my to-do list for the next trip to Paris.
Stop #4: Ottanta – organic mozzarella, burrata and more
Another name on my bucket list for Paris is Ottanta where they make organic fresh cheese such as mozzarella, burrata, ricotta as well as stracciatella (and fresh pasta). They also make mozzarella and burrata workshops (organized by Yeswegreen).
