Fromagerie Jouannault — Specialty Store in Le Marais, Paris

Fromagerie Jouannault is an independent specialty shop on Rue de Bretagne in Le Marais, and the first thing you meet inside is the cheese: a broad spread laid out across the counter, arranged to be looked at as much as bought.

The house specialty is Camembert Calvados, a cheese named as the one to single out. Homemade fruit jellies are made on the premises and are the pairing to take with it, a sweet counterpoint rather than another cheese. The ham and butter cheese sandwich is made here too, and it is the thing to order if you want to eat rather than carry.

The counter is where the shop works. Cheeses are cut and wrapped in paper, and when the shop is not busy the staff take time to explain how one cheese differs from another, sometimes with a sample to check it is the one you want. That conversation is the reason to come with a question rather than a list.

Prices run high for the size of what you leave with, and some of the cheese sits pre-cut and wrapped in plastic rather than being cut to order. Both are worth knowing before you commit to a larger purchase; a few items at €5–20 is the sensible way in.

Come on a weekday morning if you want the counter to yourself and time to ask. The shop suits anyone building a picnic or a cheese course who wants the jellies and the Camembert Calvados together, and anyone who wants a sandwich made on the spot.