Banet-Sart, a sheep's-milk tomme from Hargimont
At Le Champ de la Berge, Pauline and Florent bring together sheep farming, cheesemaking and local sales. Their Banet-Sart tomme tells a new farming story in the Famenne.
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A cheese with a specific home
Banet-Sart is a sheep's-milk tomme made by Le Champ de la Berge in Hargimont, in the municipality and district of Marche-en-Famenne. This specific name adds another dimension to the discovery of Famenne cheeses: it is neither a general designation nor a cheese attributed to every neighbouring village. The producers' website presents a farm where livestock, milk processing and contact with local people are part of one project. The tomme is one of its products, alongside fresh dairy products and yoghurts.
A recent venture, not an ancient legend
Pauline and Florent's path involved other careers, learning new skills and gradually establishing their farm. The account by Terre-en-vue, a partner in their access to farmland, places the start of Florent's sheep farming at Hargimont in early 2020 and the dairy activity in 2022. The story deserves to be told on its own terms: a speciality does not need to be medieval to be deeply local. Here, the people, stages and choices that brought it into being can still be clearly identified.
Two flocks, two roles
One distinctive feature of the project is the separation between sheep used to maintain natural habitats and the dairy flock. The former graze protected sites in the Lesse and Lhomme area; the ewes supplying the cheesemaking operation remain linked to land near the farm. Confusing those roles would create an appealing image but a less accurate story. Collaboration with other shepherds, shared equipment and collective access to meadows also help explain how a small-scale production becomes possible.
A tomme among a range of sheep's-milk products
The Biowallonie profile names Banet-Sart specifically and places the tomme among several ways of processing the milk. The workshop is therefore not limited to a single type of cheese. The time between milking and sale results in different textures: fresh dairy products, yoghurt and tomme do not undergo the same transformation. To understand the precise character and maturation of a wheel, it is better to ask about the batch currently available than to assign it imaginary aromas.
Meeting today's Famenne
The farm shop, developed in 2023, gives tangible form to the wish to sell locally. Check the official shop for the current range and arrangements, then confirm your visit. Availability depends on the work involved and the animals' natural rhythms. The photograph's caption makes clear whether it depicts the product itself or an illustration of its food category.
Photos and credits
Photo 1 — Lacaune sheep at an agricultural show: an illustration of dairy sheep farming, not the flock at Le Champ de la Berge. Homoatrox · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source.
