Famous all over the world as the primary ingredient in Swiss fondue, Le Gruyère AOP is a wonderful alpine cheese with a mild, sweet, nutty flavour. Swiss affineurs (the people responsible for producing and ageing cheese) have been making Le Gruyère AOP for nearly 1,000 years; the earliest records of this cheese can be traced way back to 1115, and cheesemakers today in the area around Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura still make it using the same traditional methods as their forefathers did centuries ago.
When we think of Le Gruyère AOP, we usually think of the younger version of the cheese – creamy and mild, with a hint of nuttiness. It is a famously excellent cooking cheese, with a beautiful smooth, silky texture when melted into a fondue, a French onion soup or onto a croque monsieur. As Le Gruyère AOP ages, however, the flavour asserts itself as something more complex – those rich, nutty notes come to the fore, along with deep, earthy tones. The texture changes, going from smooth and soft to grainy and crumbly. Le Gruyère AOP Premier Cru – aged for fourteen months in humid cellars in Fribourg – has won best cheese at the World Cheese Awards a record four times (1992, 2002, 2005 and 2015).
Long story short, Gruyère is a fabulous cheese to cook with, and its well-rounded flavour means it's able to be used in all sorts of dishes. Read on for a few of our favourite ways to use this glorious cheese when you have a crowd to feed.
