Pont-l’Évêque is a washed rind cow’s milk cheese from the Paye d’Auge in Normandy, home also to Camembert and Livarot. The cheese takes its name from the little town of Pont-l’Évêque, between Deauville and Lisieux. The AOC permits four different sizes of cheese to carry the name Pont-l’Évêque: respectively known as Pont-l’Évêque; grand Pont-l’Évêque; Petit Pont-l’Évêque; le demi Pont-l’Évêque retangulaire

Pont L’Eveque comes in two basic styles; the first is brushed regularly during ripening to produce a whitish pink rind with a slightly beige hue. This produces a soft, long lasting cheese such as the one we carry from E.Graindorge . The second style involves the frequent washing of the rind with salt water during affinage. This produces a firmer, stronger tasting cheese with a more pungent, orange rind.  Pont-l’Évêque is said to be the oldest Norman style of cheese still in production.

The rind of Graindorge’s Pont-l’Évêque is a ridged dusty white, with an orangey/ salmon pink tinge. The aroma is earthy with hints of ammonia. The creamy yellow paste is soft, but not runny with occasional air holes. The flavour is rich and creamy, and in perfect condition can be quite similar to Camembert.