228 The 'Book of the Coat. 



Those that have been draining for twelve hours are salted 

 top and bottom with coarse salt and put back to drain 

 further; and those that are salted and twenty-four hours 

 old are put into long flat baskets full of straw, and hung 

 on the roof of the larder to dry, away from the flies and 

 insects. 



" And that is how they make fromage St. Marcelin. 

 Eat it new or matured, as your appetite prompts you. 



" The long shadows are already on the hills, and the 

 Angelus sounds. I buy up grand 'mere's stock, give 

 grand-pere my pipe anglaise, and with ' Au revoir, et le 

 bon Dieu vous protege,' up we clamber, and plunge down- 

 hill again in the half -twilight of the mountain sunset." 



I may here remark that I have more than once tasted 

 English-made St. Marcelin cheeses, and have found them 

 excellent, but perhaps the best proof that they are good 

 and have no goaty flavour consists in the fact that this 

 dairy produce is in great -demand in the kitchen at Mrs. 

 Spicer's house. 



RUFFEC CHEESE. This is another cheese made in 

 France, for the recipe for which I am also indebted to Mr. 

 Handley Spicer. It takes its name from the town which 

 is the centre of the district in which it is made, about 

 thirty miles north of Angouleme, in the Charente. The 

 cheese is made from the milk when it is cold, and the 

 quantity of rennet required is somewhat less than that 

 needed for the St. Marcelin. After the curd has 

 set it is put. in a muslin bag and hung up for forty-eight 

 hours, being turned over so that the weight comes on the 

 other side every twelve hours. After it has been hanging 

 up for about twenty-four hours a little salt is sprinkled 

 over it, then it is turned again. It keeps good for about 

 eight days after making, and is eaten like a cream cheese. 



