Wavreumont, a cheese made in Werbomont
Behind its monastic name, Wavreumont also tells of a Werbomont cheese dairy, Ardennes pastures and a cheese with a hazelnut finish.
A monastery's name, a workshop to locate correctly
Wavreumont lets us tell the story of two places without confusing them. Its name refers to the monastery of Saint-Remacle near Stavelot. It is made by the Fromagerie des Ardennes in Werbomont, in the municipality of Ferrières and the district of Huy. That cheesemaking know-how gives it its place in our local selection.
The monastery itself states that production takes place elsewhere. We therefore avoid the misleading image of monks necessarily preparing every wheel behind their walls. The story is instead a connection between a monastic name, a landscape of pasture and a company specialising in organic dairy products.
A contemporary history of organic cheese
The Fromagerie des Ardennes dates its creation to 1996. It took over Bioferme, then based in Lathuy, in 1998, and acquired a building in Werbomont in 2001. These dates concern the company and its premises, not a supposed medieval production of Wavreumont. They show how a cheesemaking business develops and adapts to its needs.
For visitors, the distinction is interesting: a product can carry monastic associations while depending on a modern workshop. Looking at the maker's name, then the cheese's name, becomes a very concrete way to read the food landscape. Municipal boundaries do not always coincide with the names encountered at the counter.
A cheese that changes with the seasons
The maker's current product sheet describes a pressed cheese made from thermised organic cow's milk, with a natural rind and a hazelnut-like finish. It also states that the cheese's colour changes with the season and the cows' diet. Thermised is the term used here: an older description referring to raw milk should not simply be copied.
For tasting, a fairly thin slice lets you observe the cheese and compare the sensation at the centre and near the rind. Plain bread is enough for an initial approach. It can then become part of a meal or cheeseboard, with a question to the cheesemonger about the maturation of the piece being sold that day.
Plan your encounter
Consult the maker's information to find retailers and check purchasing options. A workshop address is not automatically a museum open to visitors. The best approach is to ask how to discover the product, which references are available and whether a special order is needed.
The photograph shows a cheese identified as Wavreumont in 2015. It documents its appearance at that date, not the composition of every current batch. A name, a rind and a label are useful clues for discovery; the maker's information remains the reference for present-day production and composition.
Photos and credits
Photo 1 — Wavreumont cheese photographed on 23 April 2015; this period image is not a composition sheet for a current batch. Queeste · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source.
