Extraordinary farmhouse cheeses are made from one of Atlantic Canada’s first sheep’s milk cheese producers in New Brunswick, La Bergerie aux 4 Vents. Monique Rouselle and André Martineau started cheesemaking with two imported sheep that they crossed with a local breed. Now home to a few hundred, they produce a variety of products including additional goat and cow’s milk cheeses.
Canada’s first “tomme” cheese, is named after the lord (land lord) who lived on the seigneury (small settlement) where the farm now stands. Le Sieur de DuPlessis is my cheese choice this week. A firm, unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese, it’s covered by natural, bone-colored, patterned rind that lends a rustic, almost antique quality to the cheese. The ivory paste inside is a complex bundle of earthy, grassy, goodness and balanced salt content. Shave thinly on to artisan crackers or have it shine in the spotlight on your next cheese board.
Federally certified, La Bergerie aux 4 Vents cheeses can be enjoyed across Canada.
FACTBOX:
Cheese: Le Sieur de DuPlessis
Producer: La Bergerie aux 4 Vents, Sainte-Marie-de-Kent
Interesting Fact: “Tomme” style cheeses are round in shape, often taller than other wheels, and traditionally have a natural rind.