Le Camembert Pocket Knife

A Camembert cheese knife in its own Camembert box

The fun starts with the packaging. Set the knife's round wooden box beside a real Camembert on the board, and it takes a second look to tell which one holds the cheese. Marie Harel's portrait on the box adds to the illusion. Inside is a Camembert cheese knife, designed in 2006 by Guy Vialis and made in France by Coutellerie Sauveterre. Keep the box on the shelf, or carry it to the table with the cheese and let your guests open it.

Juniper, walnut or ebony: choosing your handle

Juniper is satin-finished, pale and flecked with small knots, a natural match for a farmhouse cheese. Walnut has deep brown tones and a flowing grain that looks warm beside crusty bread and cheese. Ebony takes a glossy near-black polish, a striking contrast with a creamy white rind. A few versions in the range also have a Damascus blade, with its rippled pattern, and decorative filework on the plates. Every piece of wood grows differently, which means no two handles are quite the same, and the knife you open will be yours alone. To compare these woods with others, read Knife Handle Materials.

A picnic knife for cheese, bread and fruit

Le Camembert is made to leave the kitchen. Pack it with a baguette, a ripe cheese and a few pears, and you have a picnic knife for the whole spread on the blanket. Fold it away when lunch is over. At home, open it beside the cheese board and cut the first wedge in front of everyone, rind and creamy center together. If you'd like a full set of knives for a larger board, see Laguiole Cheese Knives and Sets.

Questions about Le Camembert

What is Camembert cheese?

Camembert is a soft cheese from Normandy, made from cow's milk, with a white, bloomy rind and a center that grows creamier as it ripens. Tradition credits Marie Harel, a Norman farmer, with creating it in the late 18th century. You'll find her portrait on the wooden box Le Camembert comes in, a nod to the cheese it was named after.

How do you serve Camembert cheese?

Take it out of the fridge about an hour ahead so the inside softens, then set it on a board with crusty bread, fruit and nuts. Slice it from the center outward into wedges, like a cake, so each slice gets rind and soft inside. Open Le Camembert beside the board and you cut the cheese with the knife named after it.

What is a knife that folds called?

A folding knife, also called a pocket knife, because the blade closes into the handle and the whole thing fits in a pocket. Le Camembert is a folding knife made in France by Coutellerie Sauveterre, with handles in woods such as juniper, walnut and ebony. Fold it shut and bring it wherever the cheese goes.

Le Camembert ships in its wooden Camembert box with care instructions. Wash it by hand, pat it dry right away and skip the dishwasher, since heat and water are hard on wood.