Making the perfect Fondue

Alternative cheeses to use in tartiflette

Tartiflette – Recipe & Alternatives to Reblochon

15th November 2025

Tartiflette was only invented in the 1980s! Amidst declining Reblochon cheese sales, the ‘Syndicat of Reblochon’ developed and marketed this dish, adapting a local peasant recipe ‘Péla’ for melted cheese, bacon and potatoes. Ingredients (per person) 250g thickly-sliced potatoes 100g diced smoked bacon 60ml crème fraiche 150g Reblochon 1 small chopped onion 1 garlic clove Method Par-boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, then drain. Melt a knob of butter in a pan and fry the bacon with the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. In a baking dish, layer the onion and bacon mix alternatively with the potatoes, dolloping the crème fraiche on the top. Place the cheese, ideally cut in half through the middle, on the very top, rind side up so the rind can brown and crisp as it bakes. Bake until potatoes are cooked (15-20 minutes at 200°C). Can’t get hold of Reblochon? If you cannot find Reblochon or you want to try a British alternative cheese each of the below will work to replace it, all have a similar methodology in making and maturing to Reblochon so will work if you replace it ‘like for like’ in the Tartiflette recipe: Rollright, Winslade, Ogleshield, Ashcombe….

Kingstone’s Fidgety Flette – Potato, Cheese, Apple and Onion Pie

11th November 2022

A merging of two classic dishes: Alpine Tartiflette and the Worcestershire* Fidgety Pie. This is the Kingstone Dairy team’s favourite way to cook their iconic cheeses, bringing together the inspiration for their cheeses and their three-counties home: Gloucestershire (cheese), Herefordshire (cider) and Worcestershire. Kingstone Dairy recommend using their Yarlington cheese – based on the Reblochon but washed in cider from Herefordshire – but it works equally well with Rollright and Evenlode. *The origin of ‘Fidget’ or ‘Fidgety’ Pie claims to hail from Shropshire, Derbyshire and Worcestershire depending on who you ask! They all include onion, apple and pork in various combinations. Ingredients 3 x Charlotte potatoes, peeled and cut into halves 200g x lardons (or cut strips of streaky bacon) 1 x large onion sliced thinly 2 x garlic cloves sliced thinly 1 x sprig of sage 1 x large cooking apple – peeled, cored and sliced 1 x bottle of Oliver’s Fine Cider Yarlington Mill Cider 2021 1 x 250g Yarlington Cheese (Rollright and Evenlode work too) 1 x dash of olive oil Method Parboil the potatoes for 10- 5 minutes in well-salted, boiling water until tender Fry off the onion and garlic in olive oil in a cast…

Cooking with Cheddar as an ingredient (with chef Tommy Banks)

25th April 2021

Join Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks and award-winning cheesemonger The Courtyard Dairy as they guide you through Cheddar, why it cooks so well, what to look for in selecting a cheese to melt and cook with, and to test out some new recipes with this old classic ingredient. Browse The Courtyard Dairy’s range of traditional farmhouse Cheddars here > Find out more fascinating facts about cheese – simply sign up to The Courtyard Dairy monthly newsletter for regular exciting offers and interesting info. from the cheese-world. Sign up here.

Cheddar and Beer Fondue Recipe

21st April 2021

This dish became a much-loved favourite at The Courtyard Dairy Café. Serves 2 Ingredients 200g grated Cheddar (for best results use a good strong Cheddar like St Andrew’s) 200ml beer (a lighter style like lager works best) 1 tablespoon of cornflour Method Stir the cornflour through the grated Cheddar. In a non-stick frying pan add the cheese and cornflour mix. Over a low heat stir in the beer and continue to mix until the mixture starts to thicken. Once bubbling, transfer the mix to a fondue pot or a really hot dish. Be careful – as the mixture cools it will start to harden. Serve with tortilla chips. To make it extra special: Serve with a fresh tomato salsa spooned over the top (dice tomatoes, add finely chopped red pepper and red onion, mix with a splash of olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, chopped coriander leaves and a crushed half clove of raw garlic). Add crispy sliced chorizo – cut chorizo into small segments and cook on a medium heat in frying pan (with a touch of oil) until crispy, then leave to cool on a piece of kitchen towel (this can be done in advance).

What’s the best cheese to cook with? – The science behind choosing the right cheese for your dish.

21st April 2021

“Cheese is an ingredient that has so much to offer in flavour, texture and versatility.” Chef Michel Roux Snr Cheese is an ingredient that can transform and elevate almost any meal: it can be used simply to season a dish, or as an ingredient in its own right in classic cookery such as gratins, soufflés, fondues, omelettes, and even the humble yet magnificent cheese on toast. But it’s not all plain sailing, with issues such as oil pooling on dishes, cheeses that just won’t melt, split cheese sauces and too much greasiness. Choosing the right cheese for the job (and not heating it too fast!) can alleviate these issues. Not all cheeses are equal, and cooking with cheese involves a balance of moisture, acidity and the solid elements within the cheese (fat, protein and calcium). Getting the balance right means you’ve chosen the right cheese for your dish. If you want a good ‘melter’, a good rule of thumb is to choose a smooth-textured cheese, not crumbly or squeaky, that is easily sliced at room temperature. When you heat cheese two things start to happen: the fat within the cheese starts to soften and become liquid and the protein and…