kitchen secrets from our French chef
It's been a fantastic start to 2025 with cheese enthusiasts signing up to tours in force. We're busy perfecting plans for our British Cheese Odyssey in the autumn (and 2026) and our newly launched Burgundy tour next year, but have also been cooking up some of our favourite recipes from our French chef Sylvain Jamois.
Sylvain travels with us on all our tours, creating wonderful meals and hosting fun cookery classes for our guests. He worked in some of the best restaurants in London before running his own catering company, so we've asked him to share three kitchen secrets with you. Think maximum flavour, minimum effort.
Shop-bought stocks are fine
One of the first jobs of the chefs on our tours is to make stock by simmering bones for hours to use in everything from soups to risottos. "But shop-bought stocks are fine at home," says Sylvain. "Rather than cubes, go for fresh, liquid stocks. They are almost as good as homemade."
Slow and steady fondue
Fondue is a favourite on our Alpine tours and the trick to stop it splitting is to have pre-grated cheese, such as Gruyère and Comté, to add slowly as you whisk. "Slow and steady is good. Then you don't need to add cornstarch either."
No tears with cold onions
Myths around how to chop onions without crying range from putting a spoon in your mouth to wearing swimming goggles. "I've tried them all and the only one that works is putting onions in the fridge or the freezer. The cold stops them from releasing the volatile gases that irritate your eyes."
Chef Sylvain will teach guests how to make classic meat pies on our British Cheese Odyssey in 2025 and 2026, and how to create chocolate truffles on our new Burgundy wine and food trip in 2026. Booking details below.
BOOKING NOW FOR 2025 & 2026
A British Cheese Odyssey: London, Somerset & Bath
12-19 October, 2025
19-26 October, 2026
Double occupancy: $6.200 per person
Single occupancy: $6,900 per person
Bourgogne, Franche Comté
20-31 May, 2026
Double occupancy: $8.950 per person
Single occupancy: $9,950 per person
Like Baron Bigod? Meet Rædwald!
We always love tasting Baron Bigod (Britain's answer to Brie de Meaux) on our British Cheese Odyssey tours. So we are very excited to hear that the makers Jonny and Dulcie Crickmore of Fen Farm Dairy have launched a new washed rind cheese (pictured above).
Similar in style to Reblochon and named after a famous Anglo-Saxon king, Rædwald (pronounced 'Redwold') has been created to make the most of the rich milk from the farm's herd of Montbeliarde cows.
Jonny and Dulcie often join us on our British tours, where they happily chat to guests about their farm and lives as we taste their cheeses. This is part our British Cheesemakers' Gala Dinner at cheddar maker Jamie Montgomery's gorgeous manor house in Somerset, which is our home for much of the stay.
Author and cheese expert Patrick McGuigan, who will also join the British tours in 2025 and 2026, has already tried Rædwold and says that it's a cheese with an "oozy charm" and flavors that "range from smoked bacon to roasted hazelnuts".
Apparently it's very good melted over potatoes to make a British version of Tartiflette. We can't wait to try it for ourselves the next time we are in the UK!
For more details on our British cheese tours, click here (2025) and here (2026).
Burgundy 2026: bookings now live
Bookings for our wine and food adventure to Burgundy in 2026 are now LIVE. Taking place from 20-31 May, 2026, the trip to France sees guests stay in a Sleeping Beauty-style chateau, visit esteemed wine producers and cheesemakers, and enjoy a private tasting of the chateau owner's collection of Grand Cru wines.
Don't delay, the 2025 trip sold out very quickly!
For more details and to book:
Bourgogne, Franche-Comté, 20-31 May, 2026
Other tour dates for your diary
Savoie France & Switzerland Cow Parade
24 September – 5 October 5, 2025
Visit the majestic Alps to discover mountain cheeses, rare wines and the joys of a Swiss cow parade. Expect plenty of fondue
We also run private tours for groups of our foodie friends. We're thrilled to be taking guests from Di Brunos Bros, Fairfield Cheese Company, Plums Cooking Company and Savory Gourmet on bespoke Cheese Journeys in France, Switzerland and Italy in the next few years. Get in touch if you would like to find out more about these trips or how to go about organizing your own.
If you're interested in coming on a tour and want to know more email anna@cheesejourneys.com