In a world of cuboid cheeses, be more cube. Presumably that is what the thinking was behind this particular offering from the Lidl Deluxe range. I am a lover of blue cheese so this particular offering piqued my interest. After all, who can resist a fancily packaged cheese in such an attractive shape?

Pave D’Affinois is a soft French cow’s milk cheese which boasts a soft creamy flavour. However, the packaging in this instance offers none of this insight. Now this is not a cheese I have come across before so it was then, perhaps, understandable that when I saw a fancy blue cheese on the shelves, I might have expected something a bit stronger (more akin to Gorgonzola or suchlike).

On unwrapping the cheese, you are met with an edible white rind which (for me at least) puts you in no doubt that you are eating something French. If you have ever eaten Brie or Camembert, you could easily be persuaded that this is what you have in front of you. Indeed, some sites online have made such a comparison in terms of texture and taste. The aroma of this cheese is not unpleasant in so much as it barely has one. The blue element of this variety is not as prevalant as I would have hoped. This is probably explained by the more delicate nature of the base cheese; too much blue would probably overpower the cheese.

Upon tasting the cheese, I couldn’t help feeling a little underwhelmed. Yes, it does have a smooth and buttery texture but the taste for me is almost too delicate. I tried a slice on a plain biscuit and could scarcely taste the cheese. For any cheese this isn’t great but for a blue (even a mild one) this is problematic in my books. The cheese isn’t especially expensive at around £1.83/100g but for a “deluxe” product I would have expected more.

In the defence of the cheese, my dad also tried it and found it to be quite pleasant (maybe cheese tastes better when you didn’t pay for it). Maybe I can’t hate on it too much just because it wasn’t as strong or flavourful as I expected. It’s not a bad cheese, but neither is it a particularly good one. Fancy wrapping and cuboid shape or otherwise, I wouldn’t rush to buy it again. If, like me, you want your cheese to have a bit of body I suggest you give it a miss; especially considering you could get the same creamy experience from one of the many varieties of Brie or Camembert available at a lower cost.

RATING – 6.5

RECOMMENDATION – As with most soft cheeses, leave it out before consuming. Don’t pair it with anything too strong in taste to avoid losing the flavour all together!

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