Watch wood-fired cheese being made at restaurant Le Chalet.
Learn all about authentic wood-fired cheese, or alpine cheese at restaurant Le Chalet in Château-d'Oex between May and October. Launched for the first time in 1976, the demonstration takes place in the warm wood-panelled setting of the dining room. Dressed in traditional costume, the cheese-maker spends nearly two hours working around the huge copper cauldron resting on an open fire. In this way the craftsman can turn 160 to 200 litres of organic milk into hard cheese. Raw milk from Les Moulins organic farm is poured in and each step is performed in sequential order, respecting the purest artisanal manufacturing methods.
16 to 20 kg produced each day
Heating, monitoring the temperature, which must not exceed 32 degrees, curdling, draining, heating and mixing by hand: all actions are performed with the utmost care before the final stage: shaping of the cheese in a specially prepared mould. One wheel weighing between 16 and 20 kg is produced each day. "Le Chalet Bio" cheese is then refined in the cellar for 5 to 6 months before being consumed. Connoisseurs will inform you that it is distinguished by its slightly nutty and salty flavour. Combining business with pleasure, once the demonstration is over you can enjoy the cheese served on a tray, or in one of the dishes on the menu at the restaurant. “Le Chalet Bio" is a product labelled as “Pays-d'Enhaut, Produits Authentiques” and also obtained the “Produit du Parc” label in July 2014.
