At the Chèvrerie du Brabant, a family-run farm in La Bresse, we booked our visit online in advance. We didn’t set our expectations too high – after all, the low price of €3 (only €2.50 with online reservation) per person suggested a rather small tour. The children weren’t too excited beforehand either, but that quickly changed once they met the goats, kids, and sheepdog! In the end, we spent many hours at the goat farm and had a hard time convincing the kids to leave.
Finest goat cheese specialties straight from the creamery
A bright blue sky accompanies us to the farm – the weather is almost too warm for October and certainly for our sweaters. All around the farm, a pleasant, mild, and subtle goat aroma fills the air, immediately sparking our appetite for cheese. While we wait for the tasting to begin, our children quickly befriend the affectionate sheepdog Tina, who will stay with us until the end of the day.
To start, we are served a small platter with a selection of the farm’s own goat cheeses and a short tasting guide. Unfortunately, we have to skip the Tomme de chèvre, but the other six varieties are a real delight.
We begin with the mild “Frais de Jour,” a fresh cheese made from the previous day’s milk. Very mild, with a pleasant, subtle goat flavor – a great choice for beginners. As the ripening progresses, so does the intensity of the aroma: first we taste the eight-day-old “Demi-affiné,” followed by the “Affiné,” aged for three weeks in the cellar at 5°C. The final three cheeses in the tasting are fresh cheeses again, each enhanced with different flavors – shallots, pepper, and garlic with herbs.
Our favorite is the fresh goat cheese – for many an entirely new taste, since fresh cheese from the supermarket, as the farm’s owner Bruno Lecomte tells us, is always at least 10 days old. Having the chance to taste cheese this fresh is truly rare! We are also enthusiastic about the three-week-aged Affiné and, finally, the goat fresh cheese refined with shallots.
Feeding and petting goats in the pasture
Still filled with the taste of the delicious cheese tasting, we are allowed to enter the barn. Each of us receives a small cup with different grains – food for the young goats. As soon as we hold out our hands, the curious kids eagerly lap up the feed. And before we know it, we are handed a second cup – this time for the older goats. Because now it’s time to head out to the vast pasture.
With loud commands, the goatherd directs the sheepdog Tina, who races around the herd at lightning speed and skillfully drives the animals up the slope. An impressive teamwork!
Even the fully grown goats are anything but shy: they happily eat the feed straight from our hands, push forward curiously, and linger with us even after feeding, enjoying long petting sessions. The children are absolutely thrilled to be so close to the animals.
Finally, the time on the pasture comes to an end. One goat after another trots back with the herd to the barn, closely accompanied by Tina, who keeps a careful eye on every single animal.
Goat milking for beginners
Back in the barn, we first watch an informational film. It gives a fascinating insight into the farm’s yearly cycle – from the birth of the kids to the threat of returning wolves and finally to cheese production.
Along the way, we learn quite a few new things: did you know, for example, that goats – unlike cows – don’t give milk all year round? The insights into cheese production are just as fascinating: while a Tomme de chèvre has to ripen for two months and be brushed regularly, making fresh cheese is comparatively straightforward. The milk is mixed with rennet, the curd is cut and filled into molds. There, the whey drains off slowly, giving the cheese its later texture. A little salt, an occasional turn – and the fresh goat cheese is ready. Of course, every piece of cheese contains a wealth of professional know-how, passed down through generations, as well as experience and the best ingredients. But we leave determined to try making a small goat fresh cheese at home ourselves.
Fresh goat milk straight from the udder!
Then things get really exciting: the children are allowed to lead the goats to the milking stand. “Lead” is almost an understatement – the goats push eagerly through the small gate as if they can hardly wait. The first animals are milked by hand, and the children are allowed to help!
It’s not that easy. Patiently, the cheesemaker explains how it works until all three of our children have a moment of success: first use thumb and forefinger to firmly close the base of the teat so the milk stays inside, then close the remaining fingers one by one – and suddenly, a warm stream flows into the bucket. A few drops are even tasted fresh from the udder!
Afterwards, the children attach the milking tubes, as the rest of the process is automated. With practiced skill, the sheepdog Tina drives the milked goats into another pen, while the next nine animals are already waiting impatiently. And so it goes, one after another, until the very last goat is milked.
While the children are now back outside playing with Border Collie Tina, we leave the barn and shop for a few specialties in the small farm cheese store, rounding off our visit.
Goat cheese to go
In the little cheese shop, we finally manage to get a piece of Tomme de chèvre. We also pick up the three different stages of fresh cheese, as well as the one refined with shallots. For the five cheeses, we pay just under 20 euros – a real bargain for so much craftsmanship and visibly animal-friendly farming.
The hardest farewell is for the children – and that’s to the sheepdog Tina. The playful lady has grown so close to their hearts that the entire drive home revolves around one topic: “When are we finally getting a dog?”
Would you like to experience this too?
The Chèvrerie du Brabant is not only a highly recommended excursion for cheese lovers, but above all an unforgettable experience for families with children.
The goat farm is located just outside La Bresse, in the Vosges, and is very easy to reach by car: 5 Chemin du Hauts des Bouchaux, 88250 La Bresse.
For visitors, it is open from mid-February until the end of October. Tours are usually offered in the afternoon, from 3 to 7 p.m. To be sure of getting a spot, it’s best to reserve online in advance! In spring, you might even be lucky enough to witness the birth of goats up close.
With an online booking, admission costs €2.50 and includes a goat cheese tasting, corn feed for the goats, and the guided tour of the farm.