Le Gruyère AOP: the world’s most versatile cheese

Because Le Gruyère has been made for so many centuries, chefs have had plenty of time to experiment and play around with it in the kitchen. The result? Some world-famous dishes which are all about celebrating the cheese’s flavour and incredible texture when melted. The most famous has to be fondue – a dish which is having a bit of a comeback since its heyday at 1970s dinner parties. An entire pot of gently bubbling melted Gruyère, loosened with white wine, ready to be used as a dip for potatoes, vegetables and meats. To really appreciate Gruyère’s melting qualities, however, you can’t do better than a Croque Monsieur – France’s famous take on the toasted cheese sandwich which shows just oozy and moreish lashings of Gruyère can be.

Because it won’t split when melted, Gruyère can be effortlessly incorporated into rich, creamy sauces. Using it as the base for a mac and cheese or simply melting it into milk for a simple yet highly effective more liquid sauce is an easy way to add bags of flavour to a dish. Try this lobster mac and cheese for a seriously luxurious take on the classic – the Gruyère has enough nutty sweetness to complement the lobster meat beautifully – or for something more robust, this gratin takes the humble turnip and makes it shine thanks to a dairy-rich sauce of butter, milk, cream and Gruyère, which is then baked until bubbling and browned on top.

Grated Gruyère can be mixed into doughs easily; just a little sprinkling will add a subtle savoury depth to pastry and bread, while adding more will create dishes brimming with the beloved flavour of the cheese. These gougeres are easy to make, puffing up in the oven to become bite-sized pillows of pure Gruyère goodness. For something with even more wow-factor, try your hand at a soufflé; just a small amount of cheese is all it takes to create a seriously impressive starter that encompasses everything great about traditional French cookery.