Legend has it that Mimolette was first made at the request of Louis XIV in the 17th Century, when his Minister, Colbert, banned the import of Dutch products due to the war with the Netherlands. Edam was reportedly one of Louis’ favourite cheeses, so local cheese-makers in Lille were asked to make a version, which they did; but they coloured it with annatto to make it stand out from its Dutch rival. Totally unlike modern Edam, Mimolette has a natural rind, with a distinctive pock-marked surface that makes it look somewhat like the craters on the moon. The roughness is caused by the proliferation of cheese mites (usually the bane of a cheese maturer’s life, but in this case his friend!).Our choice of Mimolette is at least 18 months old; and it comes from one of the bigger and more famous ripeners, Cesar Losfeld, who have been maturing the cheese in their brick cellars since 1871. *A whole Mimolette weighs approximately 3kg. Smaller weights are a cut of a whole cheese.
