the big winners of Brie Happy de Meaux are known

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It is a celebration to which the Meldois are now attached. During the weekend of October 12 and 13, 2024, Meaux brie (Seine-et-Marne) was celebrated and tasted in the Episcopal City and also in the heart of the city, where several events took place.

This celebration is an opportunity to promote local crafts, but also to be able, as a family, to gather around this historical heritage for the region.

Five bries in the ranking

Sunday October 13, 2024, late morning, the moment long awaited has arrived. That of awarding the awards for the best brie de Meaux. The Gold medal is awarded to the manufacturer and refiner Renard-Gillard in Biancourt in Loiret.

For the Silver medal, the manufacturer and refiner of the Société fromagere de Raival, in the Meuse, were congratulated for his work.

The third medal goes to the manufacturer Société Fromagère de Raival and the refiner Société Fromagère de Meaux Saint-Faron.

In fourth position for the manufacturer, we find Compagnie Ferrières Rothschild and for refiner, Rothschild.

Finally, the last step in this top 5 goes to the manufacturer and refiner Renard-Gillard in Courtenay in the Loiret.

A heterogeneous jury

This year 2024, the jury was composed of eleven members who had to judge the quality of eleven cheeses. Laurence Goudet-Dupuis, journalist, appreciated “the creaminess and the taste on the palate”.

As for Laetitia Desvages, creator of the Online Cheese Guide, she liked “one or two cheeses with a melting texture, animal milkiness and a flowery taste,” she confides.

Unfortunately, some brie cheeses displeased. Too salty, with bitterness or too much ammonia which came out during maturation. “Some bries seem to be good products but unfortunately, some are poorly matured,” according to the jurors’ estimates.

The eleven culinary judges also had to note the appearance and the external shape, color and consistency of the dough, the texture and finally the taste and smell.

The president of the CCI 77, Jean-Charles Herrenschmidt and David Marrant, from the Grand buffet de Narbonne with its 111 cheeses were also part of the jury as well as Vincent Philippe, world champion cheese maker.

How do you make a good brie?

This is a question that we must have already asked ourselves. Thanks to Joseph D’Hondt, former cheesemaker, former director of Brie Meaux Saint-Faron and co-founder of the Meldoise brotherhood, we have some answers. “First of all, it’s having good milk from the appellation zone. It is also necessary to mature coldly, with renneting which will make the milk solid, then the curdling and finally the molding with a ladle, the brie shovel, especially by human hands, especially not mechanized.

This will then be followed by regular turning, salting, passing through the grinding mill, drying and finally heading to the maturing cellar for a minimum period of four weeks. “In fact, for a quality brie it takes seven to nine weeks.” With a lichette of Givry, the members of the jury tasted the cheeses candidates for the supreme title of Best Brie de Meaux, the first competition of which dates back to November 1879.

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