From a very young age, Jaf and Lou Lou have always loved cheese. Laughing cow (those famous round babies with the red wax) and string cheeses were their favorites, and still are.
During our recent visit to the Netherlands, we visited cheese factories in Edam and Volendam where we ate “mild and creamy” cheese to our hearts content. But now we’re in France, the capital of “smelly cheese”, where blue cheese and roquefort are favorites of both hubby and I. We want our children to share this passion with us and so we start slowly introducing them to stronger cheeses, which now they enjoy.
Here are 3 ways to get your child to try fine, smelly cheeses;
1) Take your child to a supermarket and have them inspect all of the cheeses available or better yet, find a local cheese shop where you can sample the cheese, many cheesemongers will help give recommendations that are suitable for children or that children will like.
2) Another way, which is much more easier, is to prepare the food in an “eye catching” manner. Select the cheeses you would like your children to try (we’ve prepared a list below of our kids favorites), cut them and present it on a cheese board with fruits they love (like grapes, strawberries, etc.). Have them sample each cheese and then eat a piece of fruit. Make it fun! Remember if they don’t like it, keep having them try something else.
3) Finally, our way of doing things are a bit more comical, but always works. We just buy the cheese we like, cut them into pieces and place them on the table with sausages and fruit. Hubby and I start eating, making sounds like “wow”, “mmmm”, “this is so good”. They start grabbing it and eating it… For us, it has been that simple.
Next thing you know, you’re fighting for the last piece of gruyere!
Here’s a list of cheeses (that are not only from France) my children love and would be a great “starter” for your kids or even you to try if you’ve never tried fancy cheese before;
- Feta (Greece)
- Chèvre (France)
- Mozzarella (Italy)
- Emmental (Switzerland)
- Camembert (France)
- Brie (France)
- Gouda (Netherlands)
- Gruyere (France)
- Parmigiano-Reggiano (Italy)
Happy Cheese Hunting!!