A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles
Ned Palmer
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THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Shortlisted for the Andre 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.
Read MorePraise for A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles
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'A delightful and informative romp through centuries of British cheesemaking ... it would make a fine Christmas present, along with a wedge of Sparkenhoe red leicester'' - Guardian'Palmer writes with pace and passion, and his encounters with modern-day practitioners fizz with infectious delight ... Full of flavour' - Sunday Times'Part history, part travelogue and part tasting menu ... an utter delight, rousing, infectiously impassioned and inspiring' - The Spectator'We are taught in school that history is about kings and queens and posh people sitting on horses, but Ned Palmer teachesus that in fact, correctly understood, history is mainly about cheese. I hugely enjoyed his engaging, learned, funny, surprising book. Palmer wears his extraordinary range of knowledge lightly, but he is serious too. His book is historyfrom below, from the perspective of daily life; it talks about the food and the life and the needs of unfamous people. ACheesemonger's History of the British Isles is the best kind of social history, the kind you can eat'
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