Bonnie: It’s no secret that the Bite of the Best team loves cheese. We’re enamored of all from the sharp Vermont aged cheddar and — since we’ve all spent time on the other side of the pond — to the really pungent and tasty ripened cheeses, like Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery’s Bonne Bouche goat cheese.

Because of Bonne Bouche’s shall we say “aroma,” this mild, delicious cheese is not for the faint-hearted who are put off by smelly cheeses. But if you can get past that, you’ll love the smooth and delicate taste. Bonne Bouche is truly for cheese lovers, especially goat-cheese lovers.

Earlier this year, we learned Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery’s Bonne Bouche took first place in the “Aged Goat Cheese” category and second place “Best of Show” at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition – chosen from 1,462 cheeses throughout North America. Kudos again to Allison Hooper and Bob Reese for another European-style award-winning artisanal cheese.

We’re letting you know about this cheese in time for your holiday festivities. Just enjoy the smooth and creamy cheese or consider one of these serving suggestions:

* Serve the cheese slightly warmed, quartered and atop lightly dressed salad greens.

* Spread some on a baguette along with a favorite jam or preserves (fig, tart cherry or blackberry), then top with sliced fresh apples or pears.

* Serve it unadorned on a cheese board along with honeycomb, dried fruits and nuts.

Bryan: Three cheers for smelly cheese! Hey, dairy can be a funny thing, I know. Milk is a great example: one day perfectly fresh, the next day starting to smell sour, the next day gag reflex when putting your nose in the carton.

There is a fine line between still good and rancidly bad when it comes to dairy products, so what happens when your nose might lead you astray? What do I mean, you ask? Well, I mean smelly cheese! The most common adjective I end up using with cheeses of this type is “barnyardy.” And yes, I know that’s not a real word!

The barnyard scale (my official cheese smelliness measuring system), is a subjective test that is wholly dependent on a tester’s nose. The stronger the “whew! factor,” the higher the barnyard score.

Just to put this in perspective, I could smell my Bonne Bouche from the elevator lobby of my apartment building. (The cheese was boxed, on ice, at my front door!) Though not a “10” on the scale, Bonne Bouche tends towards the higher end of barnyardiness, so tread lightly if you have any problems with smelly cheeses. On the other hand, if you have a general affinity for this style of cheese, Vermont Creamery has hit a real home run with Bonne Bouche.

Bonne Bouche is actually the flagship of the Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery’s signature line; hand ladled and ash-ripened, Bonne Bouche literally means “good mouthful,” and winning first place for aged goat cheese at the American Cheese Society competition supports the name. The texture is a surprisingly mild for such a high barnyard score, almost more akin to a fresh chèvre. But, as the cheese ages, it becomes softer and the rind becomes more dry, realizing the cheese’s full flavor potential.

Put some out for your holiday party, accompanied by some crispy bread slices or crackers, a pile of almonds and a drizzle of honey… Bonne Bouche!

Eric: I love cheese – I can eat it on a boat, in a house, with a mouse, on a train, in a plane — it is never to my disdain.

With the holiday season approaching, there is no better complement to the cheese platter than the Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery Bonne Bouche. As a stand-alone cheese, Bonne Bouche is an ash-ripened, pungent, creamy cheese that plays with your senses; it is the “smelling salt” of the cheese world. Combined with a drizzle of honey, a sprinkling of dried fruit or an earthy cracker, the Bonne Bouche cheese is elevated to a level that defies taste buds. It is the perfect stocking stuffer — just be certain you’re okay with the entire house smelling of cheese!