AOP Ossau-Iraty, cheese, Basque Country and giveaway

As you already know, since my little trip to the Basque Country, I have become a true fan of this region, and especially of its gastronomy and regional products.

I am therefore delighted to introduce you today to AOP Ossau-Iraty, which is the only AOP sheep’s milk cheese from the Pyrenees.

Ossau-Iraty is a sheep’s milk cheese with a firm, uncooked pressed paste, native to the Béarn (with the “Pic du Midi d’Ossau” peak) and the Basque Country (with the “Iraty Forest”). Unfortunately, it is still too little known to the general public, which is a real shame, because having tasted it, I can tell you it’s a little treasure!

To prove what I’m saying, you should know that Ossau-Iraty was crowned the best cheese in the world three times, in 2006, 2011, and most recently in August 2013, during the World Cheese Awards held in Nantwich, England (ah, I’m sure your taste buds are piqued now!).

To promote the awareness of this cheese, the AOP is launching a consumer club, the Club Ossau-Iraty, and the great news is that this launch is accompanied by a major “Taste, Shout, Win” giveaway with the following prizes:

1 Weekend in the Basque Country for 2 people at the Auberge Basque in St Jean de Luz
1 “Cooking and Oenology Workshop” gift box
1 “Gourmet Tables” gift box
10 Cooking classes

And plenty of other gifts to win by playing here! (the rules with all the prizes are on the site)

“The Ossau-Iraty club” also offers a true space for exchanges, creativity, and events.

On the program: chef interviews, giveaways, culinary challenges, time-saving tips, food and wine pairings, recipe cards, etc.

The great find: For the Club launch, a tasting basket awaits the first 100 members to join the Club! And to ensure every consumer becomes an ambassador of the Designation, internet users can win a gourmet gift by sponsoring 5 of their friends and inviting them to join the Club.

OSSAU-IRATY GIVEAWAY:

To get your mouth watering, I have 2 small Ossau-Iraty tasting boxes for you to win on the blog!

To participate, simply leave a comment below this article telling me about your experience or your connection (or lack thereof) with the Basque Country.

A random draw from the responses to this question will designate the 2 winners of the prizes! Good luck to everyone.

The box contains:

a 200g portion of dairy Ossau-Iraty
a 6 cl bottle of AOP sweet Jurançon wine
a jar of black cherry jam from Itxassou (also an AOP!)
a 100% cotton tea towel in Basque fabric, created, woven, and embroidered in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques (provided by Lartigue 1910)
a press kit

Ossau-Iraty gourmet gift box with cheese, jam, and a bottle.

Rules:

– Giveaway limited to Mainland France

– + 1 chance if you are a fan of the blog’s Facebook page; + 1 chance if you follow the blog’s Twitter page; + 1 chance if you follow the blog’s Hellocoton page; + 1 chance if you follow the blog’s Instagram page (don’t forget to leave your usernames in your comment if you want to benefit from extra chances; you can accumulate up to 4 additional chances)

– 1 entry per IP address

– Giveaway start date: Monday, December 09, 2013 – deadline for participation: Tuesday, December 17, 2013, and results the next day on the blog in an edit of this article

EDIT of December 18, 2013:

Following the random draw, I am happy to announce that the 2 winners of the gourmet boxes are muriel and Juliette Souris.

Congratulations to you, I will contact you via email shortly so you can confirm your availability.

Thank you all for participating, and for those who were not drawn, take heart—other very nice giveaways are coming to the blog very soon! Stay Tuned!

Find all my articles on the Basque Country (in France and Spain) below:
⇒ All my articles on the Basque Country
⇒ All my articles on Nouvelle-Aquitaine