Sir Wilfrid Laurier was Canada’s first Canadian born Prime Minister. Him and his wife, Zoé Lafontaine aka Lady Laurier, were married until his death in 1919.
What do they have to do with cheese? Not much, except for the fact that we recently happened upon two cheeses named for the two Lauriers. Clearly, they must have loved cheese to have a pair of soft cheeses named for them. But once again, who doesn’t love cheese?
So with two rounds of cheese in hand, it was clearly time for a little head to head for cheese supremacy.
If you couldn’t tell from his bald pate, Sir Laurier is on the left. That would leave us with Lady Laurier to the right. The cardboard packaging is easy to spot in a cheese lineup if you decide to hunt down these two icons of Canadiana at your local grocery store. Or, you can always contact Du Village.
We put together our cheese plate, both Lauriers side-by-side, accompanied by fresh sliced baguette. Sir Laurier is a little larger (he was PM afterall), where the lady is a little smaller and more elegant. Sir Laurier sports a washed rind, where the Lady is au-naturel. But don’t let that scare you. The Lady Laurier is made with real vanilla which gives it a fragrant aftertaste.
Both cheeses spread easily and had a full flavour. Not strong, but not mute either. Sir Laurier was a man who spoke his mind and didn’t pretend to be anything he wasn’t. That’s just the kind of cheese this is. But while both were delicious, we were easily won over by Lady Laurier. Neither of us could remember ever trying a cheese before that was laced with vanilla. Nice touch.
