Cheese can be made from the milk of any mammal, although in practice only that of cows, goats, sheep and buffalo is used. The best cheeses are made from raw, or un-pasteurised milk, taken fresh from the milking parlour and skilfully transformed by the cheesemaker into a wonderful profusion of colours, tastes and smells. Cheese is a living, breathing substance. As Pierre Androuët once observed, it is the soul of the soil, the purest and most romantic link between man and the earth.

Cheese can be classified in many ways, by its strength of flavour, region of origin, milk type or even method of production. In reality, it is impossible to fully describe such a complex, natural substance in this way, so in addition to describing the specific characteristics of a cheese, we also provide a detailed, albeit subjective, assessment alongside. Several thousand good farmhouse or fermier cheeses are faithfully made by artisans across the world today. It is the passion, respect and creativity of these individuals that brings about the wonderful cheeses that we know and love so much.