Enjoy a gillot
as it should be

What are the best ways to enjoy our Norman cheeses?

Picking the right bread

To release the full potential of Gillot Camembert de Normandie, it is better to pick bread with a mild flavour and crunchy crust to bring out the creaminess of the cheese, and what could be simpler than a traditional well-cooked leavened baguette!

“Pain brie”, a traditional Normandy bread, would be perfect with Pont l’évêque.

For those who like sweet-and-sour

Bloomy-rind cheeses (Brie, Camembert de Normandie…) also go perfectly with slices of apple or pear, as well as apricot and basil.

Gingerbread would also go quite nicely, or you could jazz up your platter with some dry fruits such as walnuts or fresh grapes in the autumn, apple and thyme jelly or cider jelly…

Add some pepper to your Camembert de Normandie before serving; this will bring out the flavours

FRANCK QUINTON, MICHELIN-STARRED CHEF AT THE MANOIR DU LYS

Food and wine pairings

The famous rule of combining products from the same region is indeed the golden rule.

Regional blend: Pays d’Auge farm cider, PDO, dry

The blend of Gillot Camembert with the sweetness of the apple and the refreshing bubbles of the cider brings out a very interesting aromatic note.

The historical blend: The traditional red wine

For red wine lovers, go for a low tannin wine made with Gamay grapes, Beaujolais or Saint-Emilion, a velvety, round, fruity, light wine (6-7 years old).

The original, surprising blend: Champagne

With Camembert, the blend is even more surprising. Its key asset remains its effervescence which generates a feeling of freshness compared with traditional wines.

Yvon Lebailly, sommelier at the “Manoir du Lys” (4-star Hotel – Gourmet Restaurant in Bagnoles de l’Orne)

Watch the interview with Yvon Lebailly

Maturation Tips

Cheese maturation is essential to bring the cheese to optimal maturity. Soft cheeses mature from the outside inwards as the surface flora is active and so begin soft and smooth on the outside.

The maturation period of the cheese is from 4 to 12 weeks.

If you have a cellar, you can keep your cheese to mature. It will also keep very well in a plastic bag or tea towel in the vegetable drawer at the bottom of your fridge.

Maturing your Camembert de Normandie PDO, a matter of taste

You can extend the maturation period according to your tastes and desires.

  • Semi-mature: 25 days before the end of the shelf-life, the rind is soft and the taste mild. Let’s be clear, it is worth leaving it to mature a little longer.
  • ¾ mature: from 18 days before the end of the shelf-life, it is creamier near the centre and the flavour is stronger.
  • Mature: Less than 12 days before the end of the shelf-life, the Camembert is soft and smooth, with a characteristic bouquet and stronger flavour, the most experienced palates will be totally won over.

Rules that must be obeyed

  • Never eat cheese that has just come out of the fridge. Take your cheese out of the fridge an hour before eating as the aromas are released at room temperature.
  • Always ensure the cheese is covered in the fridge otherwise it will dry out and the other things in the fridge will absorb all the aromas and the cheese will absorb any strong smells!
  • Never wrap the cheese in cling-film. Cheese lives and breathes, especially our raw milk PDO, so wrapping it in cling-film is like suffocating it.

When is the best time of year to eat Camembert?

It is the unrivalled king of the cheese platter throughout the year but is at its best in the spring when the flavour of the milk is much better. The peak tasting season for Camembert is from March to June.

Why does cheese vary from season to season?

The taste of the cheese depends on the milk used to make it and the taste of the milk is closely linked to what the animals eat. So, a cheese made from milk produced by a cow that has spent the summer out in the meadows grazing fresh grass will have a different flavour from a cheese made with milk from a cow that has been fed hay in a barn.

Golden rules for the perfect cheese platter

  • Make sure you use a board that does not impart any flavour to the cheese, so avoid metal, for example.
  • Propose a wide choice with a harmonious combination of flavours, shapes and textures.
  • Choose at least three cheeses: a hard cheese, a soft cheese and a blue cheese. For the soft cheese, we recommend the one and only Gourmet Gillot Camembert PDO.
  • Leave the cheese at room temperature for an hour before serving.
  • Arrange the cheese clockwise on the board, from the mildest to the strongest, to incite progressive tasting,
    • From the freshest or mildest
    • To the most fermented or strongest
    • Cooked cheeses around the edge of the board
    • More moist cheeses in the centre
  • Put several knives on the board (at least one per family) to keep the flavours separate.
  • Serve with a selection of bread, wines and perhaps fresh or dry fruits, fruit cheeses or jam.

Nutritional information

of Camembert

Camembert, a bloomy-rind cheese, has a lower fat content (300 kcal for 100 g) than hard cheese as it contains more water.

Just over two litres of milk are needed to make a Camembert. It is a great source of calcium (300 mg/100 g) as well as phosphorus, essential to growth, and vitamins A and B2.

Nutrition data for 100 g of Camembert:

  • Protein 21 g
  • Carbohydrate 0 g
  • Lipids 21 g
  • Calories 314 kcal