A hidden shop in Buda’s Hűvösvölgy may soon become a coveted shopping destination for cheese lovers. Chez Sennerei makes prime Emmental and Bergkäse, fresh in texture and characteristic in taste, according to the cheese-making techniques of the Alps. This involves pure Heumilch, hay milk provided by cows who are only fed hay, fresh grass and herbs. This main ingredient of the cheeses and the natural production process also make them suitable for those on a lactose-free diet.
Only a fraction of the world’s cheese production includes the pure milk that goes into the mouth-watering merchandise of Chez Sennerei, a small shop found in District II. Founders of this local business, Judit Fésűs and her husband, were making cheese for over a decade at the southern part of Hungary, using the techniques of the Alpine dairy farmer or Senner, in production. This secured them a presence at various food festivals in Germany, where the Magyar couple first met the Baldauf family, whose cheese-making traditions date back to the 1800s.
When unprecedented circumstances forced the Hungarian duo to give up local cheese production, they shifted their venture into selling products made at the Allgäu factory overseen by the Baldauf family.
The offerings at Chez Sennerei include classic blue cheese, Emmental and Bergkäse, but special varieties also feature, such as orange-pepper, ramsons, wild-flower and chilli. Their professional approach to production is palpable in every bite.
Besides fine dairy, Chez Sennerei also sells tipples by the French Georges & Cyril Després winery, including a light rosé perfect for an apéritif. Sweet-and-sour fruit-based mustards are also available, made with figs, raspberry and apricot. Pairing them with cheese is a truly hedonistic experience.
Chez Sennerei cheeses are also available at the Pipacs Bakery in Óbuda and at KIOSK Budapest in the city centre.
