The town of Gruyere is an Alpine jewel in the Swiss Pre-Alps. It is home to the eponymous Gruyere cheese, a stunning Castle and a Hollywood connection. Find out about some of the delicious gastronomic experiences - and yes they involve Gruyere cheese, fondue, raclette as well as pots of double cream!
The fog shrouded Medieval town of Gruyere is perched on top of a hill. It is located in the canton of Fribourg. Our arrival to the Gruyere is around lunchtime and the sound of bells is the first thing that we hear. It's the sound of cows and sheep grazing on the pastures on a steep patch of grass. Each time they reach for a bite of the grass the bell tinkles. The main centre of the town is lined in cobblestones and shops sell colourful trinkets and it really could not be more charming.
After chocolate, Switzerland also known for cheese and Gruyere is one of the most famous exports. This is a French area of Switzerland and the difference between spending time in the German areas of Switzerland to this is immediate. Everybody speaks French here and service is very French.
We head to Chalet de Gruyère for lunch. The traditional wooden restaurant looks like a quintessential Swiss dream rendered to life. The pale blonde wooden chairs have little heart cut outs and enormous cowbells hang from the ceiling. Our table of ten is ensconced in a cosy private area.
We order some food to share as everybody wants to try a few different things. The dried beef is fantastic but the salad is also welcome with its tangy, creamy dressing. Rye bread is brought to the table along with a bucket of boiled chat potatoes. The mixed plate of meats is also wonderful with a nice garlicky touch.
The restaurant is of course known for its fondue but as we're having fondue for tonight we stay focused on other dishes like raclette. This Swiss dish is made on a raclette grill that cooks the top layer of a 220g/7.7oz wedge of Gruyere from above. When the cheese is blistered and melted you tilt the grill plate down and scrape the top layer of melted cheese onto your plate and enjoy it with bread or potatoes. While I enjoy fondue, I absolutely adore this Gruyere raclette. I've had raclette before and I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as this one but I think its the Gruyere cheese.
Another must order is the quiche, which is unlike any other quiche I have tried. This one has less of the egg mixture and more delicious melted gruyere and bacon. In fact it feels like it is just filled with Gruyere cheese and bacon. This is wonderfully rich and it comes with a salad. I recommend sharing this between two.
Dessert is a spread of their most popular desserts and they all feature the use of the exquisite double cream or Gruyère cream that the area is known for. Cows that graze on grass produce milk that has a higher butterfat content and the double cream here is so thick that you can tip the pot upside down and it doesn't move. This delicacy has around 50% butterfat (normal double cream in Switzerland has 45% butterfat) and in Gruyere it is traditionally served in wooden tubs.
They pair this cream with fresh, sweet raspberries or swirls of meringue which is a traditional dessert of Gruyere.
One of the most delicious ways that they cook with this double cream is in a double cream tart which is a divine baked custard cream tart that is rich and utterly decadent. It's nothing short of magnificent.
After lunch we explore the tiny town and head up to the Chateau de Gruyeres with a stunning view of the town below. It was built in the 13th century as a residence for the 5 centuries of counts of Gruyere. After that it was home to the bailiffs (government representatives) of Fribourg and then it was sold to a family from Geneva who ran it as an artists colony. It was sold to the government when they were no longer able to pay for its upkeep. Nowadays it stands a museum displaying several floors of treasures and artifacts and is open to the public. If you show your Swiss rail pass entry is free. The highlight is the manicured garden viewed from the balcony.
And if you're a fan of the Alien movie series, there is a bar and museum in Gruyere town called the HR Giger museum. HR Giger was a Swiss artist and sculptor who was part of the Oscar award winning team that created the aliens in the first Alien movie. He was responsible for creating the xenomorph alien. He fell in love with the town of Gruyere and made it the home for a permanent exhibition of his works. The bar sells items like green beer and cocktails although you cannot enter and take photographs, that privilege is reserved for patrons.
For dinner we visit the Fondue Academy which is located right next to the Chalet de Gruyere restaurant at lunch (they share the same owners). They give us a little lesson on how to make fondue. For our fondue tonight we have a combination of two cheeses: a softer Vacherin and Gruyere. They explain that you can use any sort of liquid for fondue from beer to dry white wine. If you want to keep it non alcoholic you can use water or apple juice, the latter gives the fondue a sweeter, nuttier flavour. We are using a 50-50 mix called Moitié Moitié which means a 50/50 mix of the Vacherin and Gruyere cheeses.
We add the wine, garlic and then the cheeses and stir rapidly. There is no such thing as over stirring with a fondue when melting the cheese. In fact the way to get the smoothest fondue is to stir the cheese in a figure 8 pattern rapidly.
Then it's time to sit down to our fondue which is paired with pickled pearl onions, dill pickles, and slices of dried beef with bread and small potatoes. To eat fondue, dip the chunk of bread into the fondue with the fondue fork and then twirl it three times to gather the strands of cheese on the bread and then eat the cheese soaked bread off the fork.
Michele also shows us a tip if you have some kirsch or liquor: place the alcohol in a small glass and dip the bread lightly into the kirsch and then dip it into the fondue. While you wouldn't do this for every single but it's good for the occasional bite. And for dessert, we have the meringue with a pot of Gruyere double cream, a classic taste of Gruyere on our last night in Switzerland.
Where We Stayed
Hotel de Gruyères is a simple 3 star hotel that is clean and on the quirky side. My room #3 is right at the front of the hotel so guests walk past so I only had privacy if I closed the curtains.
On the plus side the room is a good size and it is clean and has a fridge. The bathroom is also quite spacious with a bath and shower combo. There is a kettle to make tea and coffee lovers have instant coffee. It is also very near the bus stop (it is located just outside the town centre).
The breakfast spread is excellent with a range of AOP breads and cheeses, smoked salmon, ham and some hot cooked food like bacon, mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes. There are also cakes and breads available along with supermarket types of cereal.
However as I mentioned the room has its quirks. The power plugs are not located anywhere near where you need them and are insufficient in number. The rooms are quite dark with dark wood and the shower is strangely designed with the head right in the middle of the tub. There are no toiletries apart from soap. I also recommend booking a room with a mountain view which we didn't get. However you can sit on the terrace and enjoy the mountain view depending on the weather.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried raclette and fondue? Have you ever visited Gruyere?
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