Celebrating Normandy – All Things Camembert 🧀🇫🇷
✔ Iconic Norman cheese with real history · ✔ Local producers near the gîte
✔ Raw-milk, AOP authenticity · ✔ Simple farmhouse recipes · ✔ Markets, fromageries & food culture
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First published: October 2025
Last updated: January 2026
Explore more about local customs, traditional festivals, and the heart of Normandy countryside life.
If Normandy had an unofficial scent, it would probably be a mix of grass after rain, apples, and a Camembert that’s been left out just long enough to make visitors nervous. This blog is about that cheese — and why it matters here.
Camembert isn’t just a cheese — it’s a symbol of Normandy’s culinary identity and rural way of life. Whether baked over an open fire, shared with a crusty baguette, or paired with Normandy cider at the kitchen table, Camembert is one of the region’s best-known food treasures. Its history, like its flavour, is layered, practical, and proudly local.
📜 The Story of Camembert
The story of Camembert begins in 1791, when Marie Harel, a farmer in the village of Camembert in the Orne, first produced the cheese that would later become world famous. Over the following century, Camembert spread well beyond its rural roots, eventually becoming a favourite of Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
According to local tradition, Napoleon insisted that Camembert should be available wherever he travelled. That posed a problem: soft cheeses do not enjoy long journeys. The solution was the development of the white bloomy rind — a natural protective skin that allows Camembert to mature while retaining moisture, aroma and its signature creamy texture. This simple innovation made Camembert transportable, recognisable, and enduring.
To understand Camembert beyond the supermarket shelf, it’s worth visiting the village of Camembert itself in the Orne. This small rural hamlet, surrounded by pasture and dairy farms, remains deeply connected to the landscape that shaped the cheese. The local museum explores Marie Harel’s original recipe and the evolution of production, while the surrounding countryside explains everything else without saying a word.
🐄 Gavray Camembert – From Farm to Fork
When staying at our gîte, one Camembert in particular deserves attention: Gavray Camembert, produced just 15 minutes’ drive away at the Fromagerie Val-de-Sienne in Gavray-sur-Sienne. This is one of the last dairies in Normandy still working entirely with raw milk from nearby herds, using traditional hand-ladling methods.
In practical terms, this means the cows live next to the dairy, the milk is collected daily, and nothing is rushed. Val-de-Sienne is the smallest producer within the AOP Camembert de Normandie designation. Each day, around 1,700 cheeses are made by hand, with five ladles used per Camembert, spaced 45 minutes apart. Maturation lasts at least 21 days, allowing earthy, complex flavours to develop naturally.
This is not mass-produced cheese, and it shows. Gavray Camembert is only available in local shops and supermarkets around Coutances and Gavray, and quantities are limited. If you are looking for an authentic Normandy food experience, this is it — no marketing gloss required.
The cheese carries full AOP certification and is vegetarian-friendly. Pair it with local cider or Calvados (or simply “Calva”, as it’s known here), and you begin to understand why Norman food culture has such a strong reputation beyond France.
🔥 How to Bake Camembert Like a Norman Farmer
There is no ceremony involved in baking Camembert the Norman way. No special equipment, no elaborate preparation — just good cheese, a little Calvados, and heat. It’s an ideal way to enjoy Gavray Camembert during a picnic, barbecue, or relaxed evening at the gîte.
🧀 Normandy Recipe: Farmer Style Camembert with Calvados
This indulgent twist on baked Camembert captures the rustic, creamy essence of Normandy with a splash of Calvados. This is how Normandy farmers do it — with fire, spirit (literally), and lots of bread.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole Camembert (in a wooden box, such as Gavray Camembert)
- 2–3 tbsp Calvados or Calva (Normandy apple brandy)
- Fresh crusty baguette (tradition) or rustic bread
Method:
- Remove Camembert from its wrapping and place it back into the wooden box.
- Farmer style: Use a horse hypodermic needle filled with Calva and inject straight into the cheese.
- For normal people: Score the top in a criss-cross and pour Calvados generously over it.
- Place the box directly onto an open fire and leave until the box begins to blacken.
- Alternatively: Put on a barbecue and leave until it blackens.
- Or for indoor cooks: Place the box on a baking sheet and bake at 180°C for about 15–20 minutes.
- Remove carefully and serve immediately with warm, fresh crusty baguette for dipping.
Tip: For a truly authentic Normandy experience, pair with chilled local cider or a small glass of Calva.
🧳 Bringing Camembert Home from Normandy
If you’re planning a Normandy holiday, a stop at a local market or fromagerie is essential. Camembert de Normandie is sold at different stages of maturity — from gently creamy to unapologetically ripe. If in doubt, ask. Cheesemongers expect questions.
And yes, Camembert can travel back to the UK. Wrap it well, keep it cool, and perhaps don’t open it on the ferry.
📍 Visit Fromagerie Val-de-Sienne
📌 Fromagerie Val-de-Sienne – Gavray-sur-Sienne
Smallest dairy within the AOP designation
Approximately 35,000 Camemberts produced per year
Raw milk collected daily from four local farms
Website: Fromagerie du Val-de-Sienne
🍽️ Why Normandy is a Cheese Lover’s Paradise
Normandy’s cheese heritage goes well beyond Camembert. Pont-l’Évêque, Livarot, and Neufchâtel are all produced within the region and appear regularly on local market stalls alongside cider, butter and cream.
It’s one of the reasons travellers choose self-catering accommodation in Normandy — to cook simply, eat well, and enjoy produce at its source rather than read about it on a menu.
Planning your own stay? Check our availability and book direct to experience Norman food culture from the comfort of your own gîte — preferably with bread on hand.