Morbier - the ash cheese

I didn't really know what to expect of this cheese when I read the description on the label. This is a soft and squidgy cheese from a small town in the east of France that had been given to me as part of my birthday hamper that I had never heard of before (see blog - 'What is this all about?'). It is not soft like brie (i.e. it won't melt if left out) but soft with a nice soft elasticity to it. It has a musky and creamy kind of flavour to it and oh boy, it's lovely. 

Tradition has it that the cheese was first created when peasant farmers in the cold regions of eastern France started to combine a layer of morning milk and a layer of evening milk. 'Pierre' the French peasant farmer would pour the milk from the morning milking and then covered the curd with ash to protect it from insects, beasts and boogeymen while it waited. It would then be added to after the evening / next morning milking. Funny how something so lush had such interesting beginnings. 

This one I would have to give and 8.5 out of 10. It really is worth a go if you see it out. I haven't seen it available in supermarkets very often, but is easy to get hold of online (such as the houseofcheese) or in local food markets.