Camembert is both an enchanting Normandy village and a famous Normandy cheese. With its half-timbered farms hugging lush green slopes, the village perfectly encapsulates the Normandy countryside. And, of course, camembert cheese takes centre stage!
Normandy par excellence
The village of Camembert ticks all the boxes. The pastures where contented cows may ruminate upon their lot, the apple orchards in blossom or in fruit, the soft, dappled light and mild climate. Life turns slowly around the seasonal demands of agriculture, a taste of an older, quieter time: it is so picturesque it hurts! Camembert is situated on a slope not far from the market town of Vimoutiers, on the fringes of the Pays d’Auge and the Pays d’Ouche.
The village and the cheese are inextricably linked. Camembert as we know it was developed two years into the French Revolution by a farmer’s wife, Marie Harel, in 1791. A priest fleeing his native area of Brie from the atheistic and cheese-hating revolutionaries of Paris gave her a few tips that set her off to create what would become a world-famous brand. In the First World War vast quantities of Camembert helped to boost morale on the Western Front, helping it to become a national symbol of resistance. The status of the cheese was confirmed in 1983 when it was awarded the much coveted Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) quality label, known as ‘AOP’ in French.
If you can tear yourself away, head off and explore all the surrounding countryside has to offer, its hidden valleys, beautiful churches, its cider, calvados, poiré (pear cider) and its delicious beef and chicken dishes, served with lashings of butter and cream-based sauces!
What to see and do in Camembert
- La Maison du Camembert: Learn all the history and secrets of camembert cheese production at this museum, then enjoy a tasting inside the round, cream-coloured building next-door, which resembles a round of camembert!
- Beaumoncel Manor: This is the place where Marie Harel spent the last years of her life, and where she developed her famous recipe!
- Ferme de la Héronnière – Fromagerie Durand: The last AOP cheese farm located in the actual village of Camembert.
- Ferme bio de l’Instière: A low-carbon farm, Normandy cows and ladled camembert. Guided tour with or without tasting, by appointment.
Near Camembert
Visits to producers: In Camembert and the surrounding area, open the doors of producers and discover the great tastes of the land. There are many specialities the Orne. AOC cider and calvados, poiré (cider made from Domfrontais pears), cream, not forgetting the incomparable black pudding from Mortagne-au-Perche, are just some of the succulent products that will delight gourmets.
- Le Sap: A picturesque medieval village with an eco-museum “From Apples to Calvados” where you can learn about the traditional cider and brandy making process.
- Argentan: On the banks of the Orne, one of the most important fortresses in Normandy bears witness to its turbulent past. The skill of its workers has made Argentan the other major lace-making town.
- Le Haras du Pin: Nicknamed the ‘Versailles for horses’, the oldest stud in France is a jewel of architecture in Normandy’s Orne département.
- Saint-Cénéri-le-Gérei: In the heart of the Alpes Mancelles, the small village of Saint-Céneri-Le-Gérei has that extra something that makes it one of the most beautiful villages in France. In the 19th century, the village attracted a number of painters, including Corot and Courbet.