🧀 Le Rustique Coulommiers

Le Rustique Coulommiers is a soft bloomy-rind cheese from the French brand Le Rustique, part of the Savencia group. Coulommiers is a traditional cheese from the Île-de-France region and a close relative of brie: it has the same velvety white rind but a smaller diameter and a thicker wheel.

According to the maker, Le Rustique Coulommiers was created in 1987 by the cheesemaker Jean Verrier. It is made from pasteurised cow's milk at the dairy in Pacé, in the Orne department of Normandy, where Le Rustique Camembert is also produced. The cheese is sold as a whole 350 g wheel in a wooden box with the brand's recognisable red-and-white check pattern.

The paste is soft and creamy, with a mild milky flavour and light mushroom notes from the rind; as it ripens it becomes softer and more pronounced. In taste it sits between brie and camembert, so it suits people who enjoy both.

How to use it: serve it on a cheese board with bread, nuts and fruit, add it to sandwiches and tarts, or bake it whole in the oven. Leave it at room temperature for about half an hour before serving.