I have decided that the cheeses of France and Switzerland are just too exciting to ignore. The number of scary looking cheeses I have seen since I got here frightens me, and it could well be a lifelong process trying to taste them. But for you, my adoring public (ha ha) I will make the effort.

My goal is to taste a minimum of one cheese a week, ideally more. I will do my best to describe the aroma, taste and texture for you and will take a photograph so you too can be scared by the strange growths on my food.

I will give each cheese a score, on an entirely biased preference.

= Just don't bother
= Edible, but nothing to write home about
= Well worth eating
= A damned fine cheese
= Ambrosial

Australian Alpine Pepper Cheese, part of the Australian Native Collection of cheeses, by Charles Sturt University. While in Australia I thought it was only fair to give a bit of a tasting of some Australian cheeses, especially as my dear friend Michelle had given me some for Christmas. I started with the Alpine Pepper cheese. The cheese is quite mild, without a bite, and with a wonderful herby taste. The taste lies somewhere between sage and basil. Texture is soft and firm, and not cloying on the palate (a fault of some flavoured cheeses). . and a half butterflies.

Brebille Monbrenac is up there with the greats of scary brainy looking cheeses. How could I resist? I have had to eat this cheese very quickly as not only the fridge, but the whole apartment was becoming scented with the nasty sour milk scent. Again I have been struck by another cheese stinking from a distance, but when you actually put it up to your nose and inhale, the smell is very mild. The central texture of the cheese is like many sheeps cheeses, the way they are simultaneously grainy and creamy, you know what I mean? Then surrounding that cool mildly lemony core, is a brie-like gooey layer which that blends with the wrinkly mould on the outside. I wonder if I was able to leave it for a few days to ripen if it would all go to goo. This layer is strongly flavoured, aromatic and very tasty. Not one for people who like their cheeses mild, this is reminiscent of a very ripe brie. I was surprised at just how creamy this cheese was, being made of sheeps milk. This was a total gastronomic triumph.... Brave the brain!

Bresse Bleu was a bit of a disappointment. The look was good, a smooth white mould on the outside. The skin was only thin and the inside texture creamy with a delicate tracery of blue. But sadly the taste was too mild and tasteless. Perhaps it would have a use as a way of introducing blue cheese to people who don't like it, but apart from that I wouldn't really bother. It did improve with a bit longer ripening but was still boring.

Boulette d'Avesnes is a hoopy looking cheese indeed. This conical cheese is covered in paprika, and filled with pepper... really gets the tastebuds going! There's a party going on in my mouth and you're all invited. Imagine a good strong blue cheese, creamy and sharp but without bitterness. Add the bite of pepper and the strong warm taste of paprika to round out the taste. Definitely one to have with pears or apple, the Boulette d'Avenses is very rich and good. Rating: You've gotta be brave to get into it, but it's great.

Let Petit Saint Albray is another smelly cheese. Boy is it smelly. It came wrapped in plastic, I put it into a ziploc bag, but it still smelt out the flat when ever I opened the door. Shaped like a flower, it has an orange white crust. The texture is soft and pleasantly gooey. The taste has a slight sharpness to it, a bit like a mild blue. I didn't eat it all in one sitting, but did come close! Rating:

Ok, time to up the manky cheese stakes a bit. These two cheeses, the Tome au marc and Sechons aux marcs looked pretty icky. In fact one of the men who sold it to me, called one of them "rabbit shit" cheese. Serious! You can see why: these cheeses are both covered in what looks distinctly like rabbit poo. The good news is that those little brown pellets are, in fact, semi dried wine grapes. Phew, what a relief.

The Tome au Marc is quite a firm cheese; tasty but not that exciting. Rating: and a half butterfly

The Sechons aux Marcs was the one Jean laughingly referred to as "rabbit sheet" cheese. The scent was very fermented... a bit like a plum pudding or something. The cheese itself is quite soft and spreadable, like a cream cheese. The taste is quite like cream cheese too, lemony with a fruity overtone. I really didn't know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by this. Rating:

This Fromage de Langres is the mankiest looking cheese I have tried so far.. I haven't yet braved any of the hairy cheeses yet, though there was a rather crusty cheese I tried before deciding to do these reviews.

Anyway, this cheese has a soft yellow and white wrinkly rind, with a sunken top. Once again it has that strong sour milk scent so typical of french cheeses. Once sliced the centre looked to my eye like cream cheese, but when handled actually is firmer, with a crumble. Too firm to spread, the texture was still very smooth and silky. The edge had an almost waxy feel under my teeth but definitely isn't wax. Hmmm... I am having problems deciding with this one. I didn't really enjoy my first taste, but it has quickly grown on me. The first nibble seemed a bit like a sheeps cheese, which is not one of my real favourites, but once that first edge was over, the rest of the cheese was very enjoyable. The rind is a wee bit odd because of the texture but is innocuous. Definitely worth a try, but not a fave I think.

How could I resist trying a cheese called Roquefort de Papillon?

This cheese has large pockets of grey/blue mould. If you are someone who likes their blue cheeses to have very fine veins this is not one for you. The mould grows around the holes in the cheese, some of which are almost a centimetre round. Even a keen blue lover like myself coujld be a bit taken aback by these pockets. The scent is actually quite mild, but distinctively blue. This is quite spreadable in a lumpy fashion. Tasting it, it is quite comparable to a roquefort at home. Maybe not quite as salty as some of ours tend to be. It would be glorious made into my sexy blue cheese pasta sauce. (remind me to give you the recipe for that some time as it is one of the most glorious recipes in my repertoire).

Now lets try a local specialty, a Tomme. This particular one is Tomme de Montagne.

If you have ever had the cheese called Ambrosia in Australia, this has a very similar texture. It is a "holy" cheese, with quite fine long holes. The scent is relatively mild. The foretaste is sharp; it has the sort of edge you get with an aged cheddar, a distinct surprise in a softer cheese. Once that foretaste has gone the rest of the cheese is quite mild and reminiscent of Ambrosia.

Rating:

I am going to start with something relatively tame, but exotic. Brie aux Truffles. mmmmmm..

Now I bought this in Switzerland, but it most likely comes from France.

You see the black blob on top? That, my friends, is a big blob of truffley goodness, and it's all mine! mmm mmm. At first glance, this looks like an ordinary brie, apart from the truffle.. there is a crust, which is quite thin, and a lovely gooey inside. But can you see from the side photo? There is a sort of core to it. Oooh, I have just discovered that it is a soft cheese sort of like a neufchatel with truffle bits.

Like most French Brie's that I have tried it has a very strong scent. I could smell it through the paper and through the plastic bag. But, like most of the bries, it is actually quite mild in taste.

I have to tell you, this is gooood. Really good. There is an earthy mushroomy taste to it which is great, and the creamy texture just spreads out beautifully to melt in the mouth. I suspect if you hate mushrooms you won't like it but otherwise you will really enjoy this one.

Rating: