More About French Cheese for kids
Our French Cheese for Kids collection gathers the mild, fun cheeses that French children grow up with: La Vache qui rit (The Laughing Cow) triangles, Kiri squares, Mini Babybel, Ficello string cheese, P'tit Louis, Président Emmental sticks, Les Croisés cheese portions and toastable slices for croque-monsieur. Perfect for lunchboxes, the after-school goûter and picnics, delivered chilled across the UK.
Cheese and French Children
In France, cheese is part of everyday life from an early age. Children eat it at lunch in the school canteen, at home after the main course, and as part of the goûter, the 4 o'clock snack, often with a slice of bread or a few crackers. Soft, mild cheeses in individual portions are designed with children in mind: easy to open, easy to spread, and the right size for small hands and lunchboxes. Several of these brands come from the French cheese group Bel, whose history is closely tied to children's cheeses.
The Story of the Classics
La Vache qui rit was created by Léon Bel in the Jura, in eastern France. On 16 April 1921 he registered the name, inspired by a drawing of a laughing animal by the illustrator Benjamin Rabier, and in 1926 he opened a factory in Lons-le-Saunier. The smiling red cow with her box-shaped earrings is now known all over the world as The Laughing Cow. Kiri followed in 1966, created at Sablé-sur-Sarthe with fresh milk and cream: a creamy little square with a childhood taste. In 1977, Bel launched Mini Babybel, a small round cheese coated in red wax and sold in a net, which has become a lunchbox favourite in many countries.
What's in the Collection
La Vache qui rit
- La Vache qui Rit (x24) 384g, also in boxes of 12 and 32 portions.
- La Vache qui Rit Pik et Croq (x8): cheese with breadsticks for dipping.
- The Laughing Cow Ham Cheese Spread (x8).
- Toastinette slices for croque-monsieur, Croque Monsieur (x10) and Cheddar (x10).
Kiri
Kiri Cheese Spread (x24) 432g and Kiri Cream Cheese Spread (x12), made with fresh pasteurised milk and cream, and Kiri Goûter 8 trays, each with a portion of Kiri and breadsticks to dip.
Babybel, Ficello and Président
Babybel Mini Organic (x5) 100g, made with organic French milk; Ficello Natural and Ficello Emmental (8x21g), string cheese that children love to peel; and Président Emmental stick 144g, chewy portions of mild Emmental.
P'tit Louis
P'tit Louis (x8), a melting cheese in a little shell, and P'tit Louis Escargolo (x10), a fun cheese that unrolls like a snail.
Les Croisés and Galbani
Les Croisés offers good-value family cheeses: cream cheese portions (x12), processed cheese portions (x8, x12 and x24) and a low-fat cheese 15%. Galbani Toast Mozzarella 150g is sliced mozzarella for toasties and paninis.
How to Choose
- Lunchboxes: Mini Babybel, Ficello or P'tit Louis.
- The goûter: Kiri Goûter or Vache qui rit Pik et Croq.
- Spreading on bread: La Vache qui rit or Kiri.
- Croque-monsieur and toasties: Toastinette slices or Galbani Toast Mozzarella.
- Organic: Babybel Mini Organic.
- Families and value: the 24 and 32-portion boxes or Les Croisés.
Ideas for Little Ones
Make a French croque-monsieur: put a Toastinette slice and a slice of ham between two slices of buttered bread and toast in a pan or under the grill until golden. Spread La Vache qui rit or Kiri on crackers or cucumber slices for a quick snack, or stir a portion into hot pasta for a creamy sauce. Mini Babybel and Ficello travel well in a lunchbox with an ice pack.
Storage and Safety
Keep cheese in the fridge between 2 and 6°C and eat it by the date on the pack; individually wrapped portions can travel in a cool lunch bag for the day. Remove the wax from Babybel and the foil from portions before giving cheese to young children, and supervise little ones while they eat. These cheeses contain milk; some products also contain wheat (breadsticks) or ham. Check the ingredients on each product page. For more, see Sliced Cheese and Cheese.
French Cheese for Kids FAQs
What is La Vache qui rit in English?
The Laughing Cow, a spreadable processed cheese in triangular portions, created by Léon Bel in 1921.
What is Kiri?
A creamy cheese in small squares, made with fresh milk and cream, created in 1966.
What is a goûter?
The French afternoon snack eaten by children after school, around 4pm.
Is the Babybel wax edible?
No. Peel off and discard the wax before eating the cheese.