It is said that when, in the eighth century AD, the Moors left the area after being beaten in battle, they left their goats behind …

Today goats’ cheese, which is mostly made in the Deux-Sèvres, but also throughout the region, is a specialty of the region. It comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and quirks, with some types made just in one small area or by just one maker! Here are the ones you’re most likely to come across:

Bûche du Poitou
As its name suggests, it is shaped like a small log. It is a soft cheese with a mild, slightly acidic flavour. Found right across the region, you usually buy the entire log.

Bonde de Gâtine
A cylindrical or round cheese with a thin wrinkly rind that’s flecked with white or grey mould. It’s made by goat producers affiliated to the GAEC agricultural organisation based in Fragnée, in the Parthenay area. Eaten young, after six or so weeks, it has a mild flavour that becomes sharper and saltier as its ages. Enjoy it fresh with bread, grilled on a baguette, or as part of a goat’s cheese salad.

Bougon
Named after the commune in which it was first made, this flat round cheese with a nutty flavour has a soft centre and rind flecked with mould. The large size of the wheel is similar to that of camembert, earning it the nickname, ‘the camembert of goat’s cheese’. Enjoy it fresh with bread, cut off the rind and grill it, and like camembert, cut bake it whole in an oven, heated to 220C, for 10-15 minutes and eat the melted inside with bread.

Capri Lézéen
A round creamy cheese with a soft, sticky rind that has traces of blue mould. It is sold wrapped in a chestnut leaf and placed in a wooden box, and has a slightly nutty taste. Enjoy it fresh with bread, grilled on a baguette or as part of a goat’s cheese salad.

Cendré de Niort
Made near the marshy area of the Marais Poitevin, its name refers to the way it is made – it is matured in a box of ash which helps form its mouldy rind. A round texture, it has a soft texture and a mild, rustic flavour. Enjoy it fresh with bread, grilled on a baguette or as part of a goat’s cheese salad.

Chabichou du Poitou
The region’s most well-known cheese, awarded an AOC label in 1990. Its origins are said to date back to the Moors. Shaped like a cone but with a flat-top, it has a thin rind with flecks of mould., and a distinctive ‘goaty’ and a strong, sharp flavour. Enjoy it fresh with bread; grilled on a baguette to eat alone or as part of a goat’s cheese salad.

Clochette
This bell-shaped cheese has a wrinkled rind with a strong flavour that has been described as being like dried hay and goats!

Mothais-sur-Feuille
This cheese also has a very long pedigree, its origins dating back to when the Arabs were in France. While most goat’s cheese is ripened in dry conditions, this soft round variety is placed on a chestnut leaf and ripened at high humidity to keep it moist. It is always sold and served with the leaf, and has a slightly mouldy aroma and a gentle aftertaste.

Taupinette Charentaise
A dome-shaped cheese with a crinkly white/grey rind, it’s known for its mild, nutty flavour that grows stronger as the cheese ages.

Tomme de chèvre de l’Ile de Ré
Made by one of the few goat’s cheese producers left on the Ile de Re, the rind of this cheese is washed twice a week with a mix of brine and local white wine. This gives it its distinctive rich taste that has the tang of the ocean about it.

Trois cornes de Vendée
Despite its name, this triangular shaped cheese with its strong, bittersweet flavour is actually from the area around the Marais Poitevin. The name comes from the shape of the famous goat’s horn that belonged to Monsieur Seguin, a character created by French writer Alphonse Daudet.

Le manslois
Made from either cow or goat’s milk that’s strained through a gauze. It originates around the town of Mansle, hence the name.

Jonchee
Not a goat’s cheese but a soft cheese (fromage frais) made from cow’s milk as well as water, flavoured with bay leaves and then wrapped in a matting of dry reed grass. The outside is firm but the inside is soft and melt-in-the-mouth. It has a slightly bitter taste; it is often eaten with something sweet such as sugar sprinkled over it, jam or a sweet wine