Maison de la Tête de Moine, Bellelay

What You See

Tête de Moine AOP has been made around Bellelay for more than 800 years, and the cheese takes its name from the monks of the abbey. The Maison de la Tête de Moine, opened in 2015 in the abbey estate, tells the story on a self-guided route with an iPad (one device for four people). There is a historic dairy where cheese is made over a wood fire, a cheese cellar, tastings of local produce, and a bistro corner with a terrace. Children get a play and drawing area inside and outside.

Watching Cheese Being Made

On cheesemaking days the dairy follows a fixed timetable, which can run earlier or later depending on the milk:

• 14:00: the milk is heated to renneting temperature
• 14:30: rennet goes in and the milk sets
• 15:00: the curd is cut, stirred and heated with the whey
• 15:30: the cheese is lifted out and put into moulds

The days are published on the Tête de Moine interprofession's website, so check before you travel if seeing the make matters. Groups of up to 20 can book a private wood-fire session of about two hours for CHF 350, at least 30 days ahead, which includes entry, a guide, a welcome drink and a tasting.

Tickets

Adults pay CHF 6; under-18s, pensioners, students and apprentices CHF 4; children under 12 go free with an adult. Groups of 10 to 25 book ahead and pay CHF 4 per adult. A guide for 45 to 60 minutes costs CHF 120 (French, German or English, up to 20 people, book 10 days ahead). A cheese aperitif with a drink and a glass of wine is CHF 12 a head, or CHF 16 with cold meats.

Practical Details

The address is Le Domaine 1, 2713 Bellelay, in the Bernese Jura between Tavannes and Saignelégier. The museum is wheelchair accessible with a stair lift and adapted toilets. Dogs are welcome on the terrace but not inside.

Combine It With

With a car, Bellelay pairs with the Emmentaler show dairy on a long day across the canton of Bern.