A Cheesemonger's Compendium of British & Irish Cheese

by Ned Palmer

'Palmer wears his extraordinary range of knowledge lightly, but he is serious too... the best kind of social history, the kind you can eat' John Lanchester
'Palmer writes with pace and passion ... Full of flavour' Sunday Times
'Ned Palmer is an erudite, charming guide to all things cheese - and his book will make you want to eat nothing but cheese all day long.' Kate Williams, Historian and broadcaster
'Palmer is both a cheesemonger and a cheese historian - encyclopaedic, forensic and geekily obsessed with the stuff. He writes in a jolly patter: warm, wry and deliciously digressive.' Wendell Steavenson, Financial Times

A Cheesemonger's Compendium is a must-have for cheese lovers - introducing the finest 150 cheeses from across the British Isles. It is a perfect companion for readers of Ned Palmer's acclaimed Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles, whether you're pondering the deli counter or ordering cheese from gourmet sites online.

Each exceptional cheese on Palmer's cheeseboard is given a deliciously readable flavour profile and accompanied by a morsel of history or a dash of folklore. Palmer adds stories of eccentric and colourful cheesemakers past and present as he celebrates both traditional farmhouse and modern artisanal cheeses.

The Compendium is also an education, with its entries arranged by the key groups of fresh, mould-ripened, washed-rind, blue and hard, as well as by their milk - goat, sheep and cow. Palmer explains the production and character of each group and adds pithy and practical guides on how to buy your cheese like a monger, how to cut and store it, and how to match cheese with a wide variety of drinks.

At the end of the book is a full-colour map-gazetteer of the best cheesemongers of Britain and Ireland, pinpointing each cheese's origins.

Genres: Food

240 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

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

[Beth Cato]

A delightful "sequel" to Palmer's A Cheesemonger's History of The British Isles, this book focusing more intensely on current makers across England, Scotland, and Ireland. As an American, I found this book to be a kind of torture as there are so many cheeses listed therein that I simply can't get stateside, but I can only hope that more will be imported in the coming years. Each cheese has about one page of description and reaction by Palmer, his voice ever-exuding friendly enthusiasm, followed by a charming illustration of the cheese. The end of the book has a brief section with advice on things like serving cheeses and assembling cheese boards, plus lists for which cheeses in the book use vegetarian and traditional animal rennets.

[Trisha]

Do you seek out local produce when you visit an area? Then this is the book for you! Each cheese has a page to describe it and give a little back story about the how the cheese came to be made and the cheesemakers who makes it. The cheeses are grouped by type of cheese and there are 2 indexes: 1 of cheeses and 1 of cheesemakers. This is useful to compare the range of cheese a maker has.
Need explains how he likes to chat to producers at farmers' markets to hear their stories but that there is often a queue. So the book fills the gap and in a chatty, informative.
As there are many more British cheeses to be sampled, hopefully Ned will produce book 2 to continue the good work

[Mandy]

Quick and informative read for cheese lovers! I enjoyed learning about the different cheeses make in the UK and Ireland. Before reading this book I underestimated the variety and complexity of British and Irish cheeses (also because I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to cheeses having grown up with Italian and French cheeses).
It’s certainly a nice Xmas present for a cheese fanatic! Strongly recommend it.

[Charlotte Biddle]

I was born too late for the cheese renaissance. Great book about British and Irish cheeses. Cute little illustrations of each cheese. Loved the history bits like the lady who bathed in milk to protest milk quotas and then became a cheese maker. Would have liked it if there was a cheese from every county, perhaps the cheese renaissance hasn't reached my hometown yet. Maybe a UK tour with every county could be his next book. 

[JFN]

Nothing at all wrong with this book. I adore this writer. It’s just not a cover-to-cover read for me, like his other works. Great reference though.