A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France

by Ned Palmer

Charles de Gaulle famously said it was impossible to govern a country with 246 different cheeses. And perhaps he was right. Every French cheese carries an essence of the place where it's made - its history, identity and landscape. Sometimes that's a physical thing, as the hard texture of Comté echoes its rugged Alpine home. Other times it's about power and politics - Brie swelling to royal dimensions due to its proximity to the French court, or Camembert gaining national status after being supplied in patriotic boxes to First World War soldiers.

In A Cheesemonger's Tour de France, Ned Palmer wends his way around the country's regions, meeting the remarkable cheesemakers who carry the torch for France's oldest and most intense traditions. As he explains the mysteries of terroir and why each of those different fromages taste as they do, he shows that a French cheeseboard offers genuine insights into la Belle République.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, France

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Ned Palmer is a British cheesemonger and author, and a former jazz pianist. He has worked as an affineur for Neal's Yard Dairy

Reviews

[Alex Gravina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A second incredible book from Palmer. The structure and vibe of the book is a bit different from the first (tour not history) but once I settled into the rhythm of it, it was very enjoyable.

There were a few typos so perhaps another run through by an editor would be good!

[Leoniepeonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very chill, enjoyable read. It took me a while to get through because as conversational as it was, it really was densely packed with information, and I massively applaud the level of research Palmer has done, once again! I would've really liked there to have been a map of France or even of each region discussed to ground the book a bit more, and I found myself trying to do a lot of my own internet searching alongside the reading. Not always being in a position to do that (on a plane or a train) took away from what I was taking in and gave me less of a framework for the detail.

It doesn't feel altogether fair to compare this to Palmer's earlier work, but his writing on the British Isles felt more engaging to me, even while this book is packed with great stories and interesting cheese-making. I'd still recommend it to anyone who can't get enough of ~the good stuff~, though, and I've got a hefty list of cheeses to try during future trips!!

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discover the locations in the novel here



If you love cheese or even if you don't, this book is fascinating. I am a huge cheese lover and found myself hunting down the cheeses in the book, purely to test them and see if I agreed with Ned haha. What a wonderful way of showcasing both France and cheese through a mega cheese booktrail. The people he meets along the way, the old methods of making cheese and the places it is sold...what wonderful stories! Break off a good  bit of bread and get dipping into these cheesefest of a read. More please!

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles. It's more of a foodie travelogue, and the cheese and wine pairings often felt a bit unaccessible without actually travelling to the place where it's made. Maybe that's the point, but it did verge on pretension here and there. I liked the little bits of history and there are a handful of new to me cheeses I would now try if I saw them.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fantastic! Ned knows his cheese, and his passion for the stuff seeps through every page. An amazingly evocative writer, you can virtually smell and taste each variety as you go mthrough the book.

If you love cheese, then this is a must buy.

If you only like cheese, then this book will make you love it.

And if you dont like cheese, then after reading this, youll be a convert!

A masterpiece, and a true Homage to Fromage!

[Katie Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous read by Ned!