Despite being close neighbours, these two large islands in the Mediterranean have distinctly different cheese traditions. While sampling Corsica’s renowned Brocciu, a soft Ewe’s milk cheese, Will is introduced to a traditional version ripened with maggots
Will travels to the foothills of the Alps to meet the oldest cheese maker in Italy. He is shown how Asiago d’allevo was once made over a wooden fire.
Will investigates the many different types of Toma cheese made in the Alps before travelling to the Langhe Hills and meeting the producers of two endangered cheeses protected by the Slow Food movement.
Will looks at the many flavours of Sicilian Pecorino, and visits one of the last farmhouse dairies making a saffron-flavoured cheese from ewe’s milk, before finding himself in a Dickensian cheese-maturing room that is several centuries behind the times
Will visits the Piedmont town of Bra, where the Slow Food movement holds a specialist cheese festival every second year.
Will journeys to Italy’s picturesque Campania region to look at stretched curd cheeses and finds it hard to resist the lingering flavour and sensual texture of buffalo cheese made from raw milk.
In this episode Will meets the Biemme family, who have been making Parmigiano Reggiano for four generations.
Will travels to the Poitou region of southwest France, where most of the country’s AOC goat’s cheeses are made.
Travelling to Lombardy, Will explores two of the country’s best-known soft cheeses, Gorgonzola and Taleggio.
Will follows the ancient shepherds trail from the mountains of Abruzzo to the plains of Puglia.