Brie, named after the French region of Brie, is also known as the ‘Queen of Cheeses’. It has a soft, creamy texture and its taste will depend on the ingredients that are used.

Camembert hails from the Normandy region of France and was first produced by a local farmer, Marie Harel, in 1791. Like Brie, Camembert is a creamy cheese that is milky and sweet when young and becomes rich and buttery as it matures.

Both Brie and Camembert are white mould-ripened cheeses traditionally made with raw milk. Most modern Camembert and Brie cheeses are stabilised, meaning their pH is stabilised with a Type E starter.

There is little real difference between the two cheeses although a wheel of Brie tends to be about 14 inches wide compared to 5 inches for a Camembert wheel.

Shopping list

Ingredients

• Un-homogenised cow’s milk
• Type E for a modern recipe or Type B for a traditional recipe
• Rennet
• Salt
• White mould spores

Specialist equipment

• Cheese basket (P00627 or 800516 are recommended for Camembert; P00608 or P00712 are recommended for Brie)
• Cheese cloth or drainage mat