Barge Holidays In France: The Cheeses You Need To Try

What would you say if I told you there was a way to flawlessly combine sampling a variety of cheeses with a relaxing voyage down a river? For any culinary connoisseur who loves the finer (tasting) things in life, this is likely to be a dream come true. Book on to one of the available luxury barge holidays in France to experience this for yourself.

There are lots of options that cater to foodies and, as France is renowned all over the world for the various sensational cheeses that originate there, it’s no surprise that this a popular food on these cruises. This type of holiday is the ideal way to sample a variety of cheeses around many different locations – the locations in which they originated.

Read on for three of the best cheeses you can devour while aboard one of the many barge holidays in France.

Brie

You’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know of this delicious soft cheese that originated from the Champagne region. Brie, nicknamed the Queen of Cheeses (and rightly so, in my opinion), is creamy, buttery and rich, and gets runny and softer the more it ages. Whether paired with bread, fruits, nuts or wine (both red and white go deliciously with it), I think it is best sampled while floating down a river on one of the many barge holidays in France.

Camembert

Camembert is versatile, soft and hails from Normandy. Its flavour is earthy and stronger than that of brie. The rind is edible and has a distinctive taste and the interior is creamy – the perfect dichotomy of taste and texture. According to legend, it was first made by Marie Harel in 1791 and, during World War I, it was often issued to the French troops, an act which firmly rooted it in the country’s culture.

Époisses de Bourgogne

Don’t be alarmed by the pungent smell this soft, smear-ripened cheese from the village of Époisses omits – it’s really quite delicious. It takes six weeks to fully mature and, once it does, it is firm, creamy and chewy. Both its colour and flavouring are unique: the former is a distinctive red-orange and the latter is a tasty mix of salty, sweet and spicy all at once.

Whether you’re a fully-fledged foodie devoted to trying treats in their places of origin, a luxury lover who enjoys lazily cruising down a river or just someone who has never been on any of the available barge holidays in France before and is looking for a new experience, there is no better way to get to know the country’s cheeses (not to mention the regions, scenery and history). So stop waiting and get booking – it’s time to bite into brie, eat Époisses and chew camembert in their hometowns on your next cuisine-centric getaway.

Author Plate

Paul Newman is the Marketing and E-Systems Executive for European Waterways, the UK's most respected provider of all-inclusive, luxury barge holidays in France. Part of a team of experienced barging aficionados, Paul is first in line to endorse the perks of a slow-paced barge cruise to anyone looking for a unique holiday experience.