Munster AOP — the washed-rind cheese from the Vosges mountains of Alsace and Lorraine, and one of the most distinctive cheeses in France. The full designation is Munster or Munster-Géromé, depending on which side of the Vosges it is made — the AOP covers both. It has held protected status since 1969, making it one of the earliest French AOC cheeses.

Munster is a cheese that announces itself before you taste it. The rind is sticky, vivid orange, and powerfully aromatic — the result of regular washing with brine during maturation, which encourages Brevibacterium linens and other surface bacteria to develop. This is the same organism responsible for the smell. It is strong. There is no getting around that. But the flavour is not what the smell promises. Cut through the rind and the paste is pale cream, soft, buttery and yielding — at peak ripeness it will be almost liquid beneath the rind while remaining firmer towards the centre. The taste is rich, creamy and savoury with notes of mushroom, cream and a mild, sweet nuttiness. There is a gentle tang but none of the aggression that the aroma suggests. This disconnect between smell and flavour is fundamental to Munster and is the thing that surprises first-time eaters most.

This is a quarter wheel — cut from a full-sized Munster — which means the paste will be exposed on the cut faces and will continue to ripen. Eat it promptly.

Origin: Alsace / Vosges, France (AOP/PDO)

Ingredients: Cow's milk, salt, rennet.

Storage: Refrigerate, loosely wrapped in wax paper to allow the cheese to breathe. Use within a few days of receipt — Munster is a living cheese that continues to ripen and will become stronger. Bring to room temperature before eating.

Net: 240g (quarter wheel)

Allergens: Milk.

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