He may be a Frenchman, his residency status not yet confirmed, but Ludovic Avril deserves recognition as one of the capital’s leading food heroes.
As cheese importer for Le Marché Français, he is the man responsible for supplying Wellington with regular consignments of fabulous raw milk cheese. His first shipment in June marked a relaxation of the cheese rules, and since July we have been able to buy a wide range of hard and soft rinded cheese made from unpasteurised cow, sheep and goats’ milk.
It’s now possible for dedicated cheese lovers to make comparisons with Le Marché’s standard range.Does a raw milk St Nectaire or Brie de Meaux taste appreciably better than its pasteurised counterpart?
Not always, says Ludo, who is happy to enter the debate with his customers at the City Market on Sundays. An ex-banker, he has all the passion of a convert and while he says he is still learning, it’s obvious he is a diligent student. Did you know, for instance, that a true farmhouse cheese from France is marked with a green stamp? It is barely discernable beneath the rind but scrape it lightly and the green circle appears. If it’s red it will have been made by a bigger producer.
Not all the cheese he imports is from France. You will also find Spanish Manchego and Italian Tallegio. The latter is one of my all-time favourite cheeses and one in which the raw milk version has a much more complex flavour than the pasteurised one.
Happily the prices are similar. Despite higher wholesale prices for the raw milk cheeses, Ludo has reduced his margin to encourage more people to try them. And they are. He is now selling to Moore Wilson Fresh, Gamboni’s delicatessen in Karori and a small number of restaurants in Wellington who are proudly promoting raw mik cheese on their menus.
It’s worth noting that four months down the track, there have been no reports of illness following the consumption of this previously forbidden product. Instead Ludo’s cheese has brought a great deal of joy to food lovers in the capital, a fact Immigration may consider when reviewing his work permit -will he stay or will he go?
Pass the Salt 
merci a toi …………une amoureuse du fromage .
There is no doubt that cheese made from raw milk has a depth of flavour not evident in cheese produced from pasterised milk. The availabilty of the former acting as a benchmark for local producers and consumers can only be a good thing.
Anthony Gamboni
I couldn’t agree with you more.
The flavour of cheeses made from raw milk is more intense and complex than that of their pasteurised cousins. Also it will tend to linger more, making that sip of wine a revelation! The heating of the milk that occurs during pasteurisation will destroy a lot of micro organisms that are responsible for taste and flavour.
It is a real treat to now be able to enjoy them in New Zealand. After all, they are the original cheeses. But they have to be well chosen. There are some excellent local and imported pasteurised cheeses around and I have tasted some average raw milk cheeses. As a rule, look for farmhouse productions and taste before buying. Bon appetit !
Generally, I agree raw milk cheeses do have better flavour but there are a lot of other factors that can affect the taste and texture – the age of the cheese, the skill of the cheese maker, how it’s been ripened (the affinage) and the care with which it’s been stored.
That makes it hard to compare like with like, but in a recent tasting of two reblochon cheeses, I was surprised to find the pasteurised version was better. Perhaps proving that there are many excellent pasteurised cheeses with great depth of flavour.
Anyway – a really interesting debate, and a good excuse to try lots of cheese.
Mmm. Yes, I adore the delicious NZ cheeses we stock @culturedpetone, but I also love going down to see Ludovic on a Sunday when I can get down to the City Market for my guilty French treats! I agree re the Reblochon – I prefer the Prefere des Montagnes, too. But that Taleggio – delicious! And Ludovic always has my favourite wee Cabecou. We must not lose him!
And one day we hope that even commercial NZ raw cheeses will see the light of day…
: ) Wendy
LUDO!!!!!!!!!!
C’est Nadine….Félicitations! Le fromage français est le meilleur du monde!
Hi Ludo
Have tried contacting you through your website but it does not work!
Please let me know your email address
cheers
Ginny (Stuarts sister Uk)
Hi Ludo,
I wondered where you went to after Qatar. I am currently in PNG so not too far away from you.
best regards
George Wales
Hi George
Great to hear from you!
Send me a message on professional address
ludovic@lemarche.co.nz
and we can catch up on… 15 years !!!
Cheers
Ludo
Félicitation Ludo, et nous sommes très contents d’avoir eu de tes nouvelles par l’intermediare d’Angelika. Lydia et Jean-Pierre Kuchukian