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This Roquefort soufflé has always been a huge hit with guests at the farmhouse
B&B run by my neighbours in the Larzac region – and a major reason for
the fine reputation they enjoy! Roquefort is a sheep milk blue cheese with a
tangy flavour, and a well-known symbol of the Sud-Aveyron region. In fact,
the production process was awarded the first appellation
d’origine in France back in 1925. More recently,
Roquefort was the focal point of a major ‘food war’
when the United States slapped a tariff surcharge
on it after the EU refused to import beef
containing hormones. In protest against
that retaliatory tariff, we joined forces
in 1999 with other sheep milk producers
and the Confédération Paysanne (a
French trade union) to organise the
dismantling of a construction site for
a new McDonalds restaurant. A stunt that
cost me a few months in jail!