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A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles
A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles | Ned Palmer
14 posts | 2 read | 4 to read
'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 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.
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TheEllieMo
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I‘ve missed a few days #AdventRecommends so excuse me while I catch up.

As the title suggests, this book explores the history of cheese-making in Britain, and also highlights several independent cheesemakers in the country. Reading it will make you want to eat All. The. Cheese.

@emilyrose_x

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Caitriona

“Neolithic cheesemaker Jill Hatch with some stubborn milk”

To be honest, I wasn‘t exactly sure about this book - originally bought as a potential present for a relative, but not gifted as it was bumped for something more exciting. I‘ve just finished the first chapter and it‘s entertaining, informative, and really making me want to have a cheeseboard to hand!

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shanaqui
Pickpick

Enjoyable all the way through, and makes me very curious to try a little more cheese someday.

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shanaqui

I didn't realise how interesting this would be, honestly. Like, the descriptions of how cheeses taste aren't working for me because I've tried comparatively little cheese myself, but pretty much everything else is, even if it's speculative.

Pretty sure I've eaten cheese made by some of the people mentioned in this book, at the Caerphilly cheese festival, and I agree: it is amazing cheese.

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shanaqui

I wish I was familiar with more different types of cheese, so I could imagine more about the cheeses described. Still, I'm enjoying the cheese-eye(?!)-view of history; it's heavy on speculation, but it doesn't pretend to be otherwise, so it's all cool.

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TheEllieMo
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Interesting, well-researched, and great for a cheese-lover like me, I loved this book.

#12Booksof2020 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds very different. 4y
30 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
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A well-researched history of the British cheese industry that is an absolute must for cheese lovers. It will leave you wanting to eat ALL THE CHEESE!

#FoodOnCover
#MagicalMay
@Eggs

DebinHawaii This one looks great! Love ALL the 🧀 !!! 5y
Eggs Vive le fromage!!! 5y
35 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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TheEllieMo
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Right now, the tagged book is my #FaveNonFiction because Cheese Is Life!!!

#FebruaryFeels @Eggs

DrexEdit My husband proposed a cheese and bookshop vacation for later this month. How can you say no to that? 😁😁👍 5y
BookNAround I just had cheese and crackers for dinner. It‘s my desert island food. 5y
Eggs Cheese!! The perfect food !! 5y
36 likes3 comments
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TheEllieMo
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Ran out of room in my earlier review to mention that his meets the #LiveAndLearn prompt for #Booked2020, so that‘s 4 of the Winter prompts done, the other 3 being:

#MillenialAuthor - Normal People by Sally Rooney
#CoverCrush - The Binding by Bridget Collins
#FinishInADay - Down In The Valley by Laurie Lee

@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

BarbaraTheBibliophage Great progress! 🎉 5y
Cinfhen Woohoo!!! Slaying it 🙌🏻⚔️⚔️ 5y
34 likes2 comments
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TheEllieMo
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Pickpick

This book is an absolute must-read all cheese lovers!! Full of information on the history of cheese-making, and how wider history has influenced cheese-making, and mentioning so many cheeses that you will instantly want to track down and buy. The writing-style is so readable and friendly, you‘ll want to meet Ned for a drink, a chat and some cheese-tasting.

TheEllieMo Pictured clockwise from top is a White Lake Tor goat‘s milk cheese (not mentioned in the book but bought as a substitute for Speighlett, whose maker sadly died while this book was being written), Gorwydd Caerphilly and some generic supermarket Stilton (better alternatives to which are mentioned in the book - Colston Basset and Stichelton being highly recommended). (edited) 5y
41 likes1 comment
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TheEllieMo
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1. Tagged

2. Too close to call between Bridget Collins‘ The Binding and An Yu‘s Braised Pork.

3. I don‘t watch much TV; I think the last adaption I watched was Andrew Davies‘ one of Les Miserable, on the flight to Dubai last May!

#WeekendReads @rachelsbrittain

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TheEllieMo
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The problem with reading a book about artisan cheeses......

Cinfhen Hahahahaha, better then reading a book about serial killers 😉 5y
TheEllieMo @Cinfhen I did do that this week, too..... 5y
Cinfhen Well, if you place an order for gloves, a ski mask and garbage bags, then I might get concerned 😂😂 5y
27 likes3 comments
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TheEllieMo
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“Working as a cheesemonger, you get to hear the Monty Python cheese sketch a lot.”

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

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TheEllieMo
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“... according to the timeline on the wall of the visitors centre in Stonehenge, brewing and cheesemaking turn up around the same time, well before baking. These Neolithic people had their priorities right.”