‘So dull it makes tofu seem like a flavour adventure': The best and worst supermarket brie

Telegraph

17-04-2025

Brie is the king of cheeses: it's official. According to the late, great gourmet André Simon in his book Cheeses of the World, brie was given the title roi des fromages at the Congress of Vienna soon after the Battle of Waterloo. A small but important victory for the defeated nation.
Writing in 1956, Simon lists only French brie: brie de Melon, de Monereau and façon Coulommiers, as well as 'the best brie… le brie de Meaux, ' all from the province of La Brie, to the east of Paris. But these days, brie is made all over France – and beyond. The Danes make brie, so do the Americans and Canadians, and we make lots in the UK, especially in Somerset. I'll bear this in mind the next time I get sniffy about Canadian cheddar.
I rounded up 22 bries from the supermarkets: British, Danish and, bien sûr, French, including brie de Meaux. Tasting soft cheese is tricky, as much depends on how ripe it is, whether it is oozing or firm, full flavoured or ammoniac. Catching cheeses with identical sell-by dates proved to be impossible, but I kept them close and made allowances for age. While many of the cheeses came from the same producers (something you can check using the discreet traceability code in the oval rondel on the pack), they may have been stored differently, which will affect the flavour and texture.
With the budget bries, I needn't have worried so much, as, according to cheese expert Charlie Turnbull, 'the traditional style is where you make a fresh, crumbly cheese, and then let the cultures – the moulds – start breaking it down, so it goes from an acidic cheese, to a gooey, savoury one'.
But this is not stable enough for retailers, who want a standardised product, so for more budget cheese, different starters are used that stabilise the brie and make a sort of gel. What these cheaper cheeses won't do is become deliciously runny, with the smell of field mushrooms and an intense savouriness.
These cheeses are often cut before the rind has properly developed, so the crust forms all over the wedge, including the cut edges. It does help the cheese last longer, but it's not really the look I'm after for a special cheeseboard. Still, there's plenty out there for all tastes. You can choose your battles, and your bries.
How we tested
All the cheeses were brought up to room temperature, and then unwrapped and assigned a letter to anonymise the samples. They were tasted blind.
Best strong brie
Best mild brie