A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles (Hardback)
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A celebration of cheese to go perfectly with your Christmas Stilton
'A beautifully textured tour around the cheeseboard' Simon Garfield
'Full of flavour' Sunday Times
'A delightful and informative romp ... a fine Christmas present, along with a wedge of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester' Bee Wilson, Guardian
'His encounters with modern-day practitioners fizz with infectious delight'
John Walsh, Sunday Times
Shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards for 2020
Every cheese tells a story. Whether it's a fresh young goat's cheese or a big, beefy eighteen-month-old Cheddar, each variety holds the history of the people who first made it, from the builders of Stonehenge to medieval monks, from the Stilton-makers of the eighteenth-century to the factory cheesemakers of the Second World War.
Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking from the eccentric and engaging characters who have revived and reinvented farmhouse and artisan traditions. And we get to know the major cheese styles - the blues, washed rinds, semi-softs and, unique to the British Isles, the territorials - and discover how best to enjoy them, on a cheeseboard with a glass of Riesling, or as a Welsh rarebit alongside a pint of Pale Ale.
This is a cheesemonger's odyssey, a celebration of history, innovation and taste - and the book all cheese and history lovers will want to devour this Christmas.
A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles (Ebook)
Buy from
A celebration of cheese to go perfectly with your Christmas Stilton
THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards for 2019
'A beautifully textured tour around the cheeseboard' Simon Garfield
'Full of flavour' Sunday Times
'A delightful and informative romp' Bee Wilson, Guardian
'His encounters with modern-day practitioners fizz with infectious delight'
John Walsh, Sunday Times
Every cheese tells a story. Whether it's a fresh young goat's cheese or a big, beefy eighteen-month-old Cheddar, each variety holds the history of the people who first made it, from the builders of Stonehenge to medieval monks, from the Stilton-makers of the eighteenth-century to the factory cheesemakers of the Second World War.
Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking from the eccentric and engaging characters who have revived and reinvented farmhouse and artisan traditions. And we get to know the major cheese styles - the blues, washed rinds, semi-softs and, unique to the British Isles, the territorials - and discover how best to enjoy them, on a cheeseboard with a glass of Riesling, or as a Welsh rarebit alongside a pint of Pale Ale.
This is a cheesemonger's odyssey, a celebration of history, innovation and taste - and the book all cheese and history lovers will want to devour this Christmas.
A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles (Paperback)
Buy from
A celebration of cheese to go perfectly with your Christmas Stilton
THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards for 2019
'A beautifully textured tour around the cheeseboard' Simon Garfield
'Full of flavour' Sunday Times
'A delightful and informative romp' Bee Wilson, Guardian
'His encounters with modern-day practitioners fizz with infectious delight'
John Walsh, Sunday Times
Every cheese tells a story. Whether it's a fresh young goat's cheese or a big, beefy eighteen-month-old Cheddar, each variety holds the history of the people who first made it, from the builders of Stonehenge to medieval monks, from the Stilton-makers of the eighteenth-century to the factory cheesemakers of the Second World War.
Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking from the eccentric and engaging characters who have revived and reinvented farmhouse and artisan traditions. And we get to know the major cheese styles - the blues, washed rinds, semi-softs and, unique to the British Isles, the territorials - and discover how best to enjoy them, on a cheeseboard with a glass of Riesling, or as a Welsh rarebit alongside a pint of Pale Ale.
This is a cheesemonger's odyssey, a celebration of history, innovation and taste - and the book all cheese and history lovers will want to devour this Christmas.
A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles (Audiobook)
Buy from
A celebration of cheese to go perfectly with your Christmas Stilton
THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards for 2019
'A beautifully textured tour around the cheeseboard' Simon Garfield
'Full of flavour' Sunday Times
'A delightful and informative romp' Bee Wilson, Guardian
'His encounters with modern-day practitioners fizz with infectious delight'
John Walsh, Sunday Times
Every cheese tells a story. Whether it's a fresh young goat's cheese or a big, beefy eighteen-month-old Cheddar, each variety holds the history of the people who first made it, from the builders of Stonehenge to medieval monks, from the Stilton-makers of the eighteenth-century to the factory cheesemakers of the Second World War.
Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking from the eccentric and engaging characters who have revived and reinvented farmhouse and artisan traditions. And we get to know the major cheese styles – the blues, washed rinds, semi-softs and, unique to the British Isles, the territorials – and discover how best to enjoy them, on a cheeseboard with a glass of Riesling, or as a Welsh rarebit alongside a pint of Pale Ale.
This is a cheesemonger's odyssey, a celebration of history, innovation and taste – and the book all cheese and history lovers will want to devour this Christmas.
Reviews for A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles
Guardian
Sunday Times
Stephanie Sy-Quia, The Spectator
Spectator
Financial Times
Sunday Telegraph
The Times
The Scotsman
Ned Palmer
Ned Palmer first experienced great cheese at Borough Market, helping to sell Trethowan's Gorwydd Caerphilly (still one of his all-time favourite cheeses). He then learnt his craft at Neal's Yard Dairy, who dispatched him to farms and dairies across Britain and Ireland. It was during one such visit, to Mary Holbrook's farm in Somerset, that he came up with the idea for a Cheesemonger's History, realising that her fresh Sleightlett cheese was just what a Neolithic farmer would make. There followed many more trips – from Hawes Yorkshire Wensleydale to Milleens at the tip of County Cork – as well as long hours in the British Library, immersed in Celtic cheese folklore, monastic account books and unearthing tales of cheese piracy, cheese magic and Queen Victoria's giant birthday Cheddar.
Ned lives in London with his wife, the novelist Imogen Robertson, many, many books about cheese, and a piano. He set up the Cheese Tasting Company in 2014, to spread the gospel.
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Ned Palmer’s perfect Christmas cheese board
The author of A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles picks his favourite cheeses for the Christmas table.