CHRIS RUNDLE

CHRIS RUNDLE RECOUNTS A PUNGENT TRIP TO FRANCE, BUT HE STILL HAS A SOFT SPOT FOR THIS FRENCH CHEESE

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ÉPOISSES is what my dear, white-haired old grand-mother would have described as kick-ass cheese - had she been in the habit of employing such expressions. Which she wasn't.

Furthermore she would never have come across Époisses, either, a nice bit of unpasteurised cheddar (with the customary blue veining developing because the dairy hadn't been all that hygienic) being the only thing in the cheese line that ever crossed her threshold.

But once you have encountered Époisses you're likely never to forget it because it's one of the most pungent of all French cheeses. It comes from the Cote d'Or, down in Burgundy, is made from cow's milk and is washed with brine and marc (the fiery spirit distilled from grape must) before being let out.

I first encountered it a few years back while returning from an assignment in Normandy with my colleague Steve. We had bought some at our last shopping stop - a stop which, combined with a late lunch and some misdirection, meant we arrived at Ouistreham in time to see the ferry picking up speed on its return to Portsmouth.