Discover artisan Auvergne blue cheese plus Christmas jam 

Artisan cheese of the month: Fourme d’Ambert

Le réveillon – the big Christmas or New Year’s Eve meal – is when the French really push the boat out, cheese-wise.

While most go for a classic selection (Comté, Camembert, Saint-Nectaire, Roquefort) perhaps with a truffled Brie for a touch of luxury, it is nice to surprise guests with a less obvious choice. 

One blue-veined cheese to try is Fourme d’Ambert, an uncooked cow’s milk from Auvergne. Beneath its thin, dry, bloomy rind and bluish-grey exterior (the blue comes from the addition of Penicillium Roqueforti, as with Roquefort), it has an ivory-coloured, almost pearly paste. Delicious!

Local speciality: Christmas jam

For a true French taste of Christmas, you should serve up the ‘13 desserts’ in the Provence tradition. For a short cut, why not indulge in a jar of rich, spicy confiture de Noël from François Miot. This blend of figs, dried apricots, raisins, candied oranges, crushed almonds, and a hint of rum is great on toast or with foie gras.