Ossau-Iraty AOP — a sheep's milk cheese from the French Basque Country and Béarn, in the western Pyrénées. The name comes from the Ossau Valley in Béarn and the Iraty Forest in the Basque Country, and the cheese has been made by shepherds across this mountain region for thousands of years. It received AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) status in 1980, making it one of the earliest protected cheeses in France.

The AOP requires that the cheese is made exclusively from the milk of local Pyrénéan breeds — Manech Tête Noire, Manech Tête Rousse and Basco-Béarnaise — and produced within the defined mountain area. The minimum ageing is 80 days for small format and 120 days for large, though most Ossau-Iraty is aged well beyond the minimum. The paste is firm, smooth and dense, with a natural golden rind. The flavour is rich and nutty — toasted hazelnut, brown butter, a gentle sweetness from the sheep's milk, and a clean, slightly tangy finish that builds as the cheese opens up at room temperature. It has none of the sharpness or saltiness that puts people off other sheep's milk cheeses. Ossau-Iraty is one of the most approachable and balanced of the French mountain cheeses — elegant without being mild, rich without being heavy.

Origin: Pays Basque / Béarn, Pyrénées, France (AOP)

Ingredients: Sheep's milk, salt, rennet.

Storage: Wrap in wax paper or cling film and refrigerate. Use within two to three weeks of cutting. Bring to room temperature before eating.

Allergens: Milk (ewes').