Highland Fine Cheeses has announced the launch of Ooh La La, a bright lactic cow’s milk cheese with a natural geotrichum rind and a texture described as being ’silkier than French knickers’.
Produced in Tain, Scotland by second generation cheesemaker, Rory Stone, Ooh La La takes inspiration from the classic French Saint-Félicien style, and is enriched with a small amount of cream. Soft, supple and silky, this cheese has been in the making for over two years, picking up the titles of Best Scottish Cheese and Best Soft White Rind Cheese at the British & Irish Cheese Awards 2026, along with a gold medal. Following six months of further refinement, Ooh La La is now officially ready to be distributed across the UK in time for Christmas.
Made with a lactic cheesemaking process and gentle coagulation, the vegetarian Ooh La La has a luxuriously melty mouthfeel, a tenderness that becomes voluptuously spoon-able as it ripens, and a light and delicate rind. The smooth texture is achieved through very delicate handling of the curds, which are slowly and meticulously hand-ladled into moulds in delicate skinny layers to preserve moisture, before each perfectly layered mould is lightly salted and matured for around two to five weeks.
Soft and yielding, even when young, Ooh La La has a fresh, expressive yeastiness from the ripening rooms and flavours of fresh cream and cultured butter. The rind gives subtle mushroom and cellar character and there are distinctive notes of banana and pear drops with a gentle lactic tang. This bright lactic backbone balances the richness, giving way to a clean, elegant finish. At peak maturity, when Ooh La La is best enjoyed, the mild rounded flavour will deepen and becomes more complex.
Rory Stone, head cheesemaker at Highland Fine Cheeses, commented: “We are very excited to be releasing a new cheese for Christmas, but the truth is that all I have ever done is plagiarise. Ooh La La is an entire rip off of the French delicacy, Saint-Félicien – one of those heavenly gooey, unctuous styles that some would say provide the casomorphins that make cheese addictive. Yes, there’s an extra splash of cream, lots of yeasts and a protracted and painful procedure of hand ladling the curd into the moulds – this is not one for automation – but watching these little bioreactors develop is fascinating because the environmental controls required to promote all the elements that give it texture and flavour is excruciating. The name is derived quite simply from my infantile humour, it’s a little Inspector Clouseau with some ‘Allo ‘Allo! thrown in, rounding off my unoriginal concept with a previous century’s slapstick.” For more visit hf-cheeses.com
