France is the Queen of cheese-making countries, at least in the opinion of the French, though even long-standing enemies such as the English must admit that they have a point. And no first-class cheeseboard is complete without one of the outstanding range of soft cheeses that the French do so well. Even if it's a humble Brie from Safeway, taken out of the plastic wrapper and allowed to mature, or a spiral slice of Le Roule, another frequent French visitor to supermarket shelves around the world, French cheeses are always worth finding.
So here we have the online showcase for French cheese, with a frankly awesome selection, mouthwatering photography and great information. And there's an extensive collection of cheeses for sale, which ship to most countries around the world. My goodness, it's tempting. The photos alone are enough to make you want to buy, but don't get too excited unless you're prepared to pay the market prices of imported cheese of this quality. You'll find cheeses priced at up to around $35 a pound, which isn't unusually high given that in many countries this is the only way to get hold of some of these epicurean delights.
Also on offer here are plans which deliver a selection of cheeses to your door every month, cheese parties that pay you dividends, corporate gifts, an affiliate scheme for website owners and a professional section for restaurateurs. A three-cheese plan will set you back about $70 a month, or the equivalent, which is on the steep side, but then this is one of those stores where if you have to ask how much things cost, you can't afford them anyway.
There are recipes here, of course, though limited to only around fifty on one page. But they're mostly interesting recipes, even if only in name: "Crusted Forgotten Vegetables with Chabichou" takes some beating.
The hub of the site is the catalog of cheeses, hundreds of them, divided into goat, sheep and cow's milk varieties, and I'd be very surprised if more than a handful of them are already known to you. And lastly there's a small collection of designer cheese knives, a couple of graters and a book of cheesy poetry and recipes. A must-visit for cheese lovers whether they can afford it or not, this is one of the top cheese sites on the web and highly recommended.