Cheese. People of taste agree that it’s the food of the Gods. What they can’t agree on is which country produces the best – mind you, when it comes to cheese, you can’t really use the word ‘best’. A mature, farm produced English Double Gloucester is as different from a three year old slice of Italian Parmigiano Reggiano as a wedge of Spanish Roncal is to a spoonful of French Époisses de Bourgogne.

But where to buy your supply of gastronomic heaven? Again, people will argue until the cows come home – for the Dutch it has to be L’Amuse in Amsterdam, for the Spanish it’s Poncelet in Madrid, while the Swiss head to Chäs Vrenli in Zurich. But for variety and choice, no one can deny that the French have cheese production sewn up, and Laurent Dubois’s three Parisian shops are sites of pilgrimage for anyone who understands the meaning of the words Meilleur Ouvrier de France.

Whichever shop you choose to visit, prepare to be overwhelmed. The smells, and sights and most of all the tastes – you’ll have the opportunity to try little morsels of the day’s favourites – will leave your senses reeling. And the knowledge of the staff is beyond compare – tell them what you’ve got in your picnic basket and they’ll recommend a cheese to go with it.

And if you want to take something home with you, they’ll be happy to vacuum pack it, so it won’t perfume the contents of your suitcase while staying as fresh as the day you bought it.