A Portrait of British Cheese: A Celebration of Artistry, Regionality and Recipes

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The specific ecosystem and microbiome in the maturation process also affects the flavour of the cheeses, the microbiome being, again, like every aspect of the cheesemaking process, utterly fascinating. Through a selection of thirty cheesemakers and their cheeses, I hope to show how British artisan cheese is profoundly connected to the land, farm animals and people involved in making it. They are a friendly bunch these cheese folk, and I’m sure they would be happy to chat about their cheeses. I always think there should be a GCSE in food provenance or the like to help our younger generations really know where and how our food is produced.

With the recent challenges faced by small cheesemakers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this book is a timely reminder of the importance of supporting local, artisanal cheesemakers.Farmhouse cheese certainly does this; it’s a synergy between the soil on which the pasture grows, the animals that graze, the quality of milk produced and the maker using the milk to produce cheese. Through interviews, stories, recipes and photography, the book celebrates how British cheese is profoundly connected to the land, farm animals and people involved in making it. Birditt, the book takes readers on a journey through the stories, people, and landscapes dedicated to artisan and farmhouse cheeses. According to the cheesemaker’s preferences, aspects such as humidity, salinity, airflow and temperature are controlled to mature their cheese. Angus has captured it all so beautifully in his photos and words and Lilly’s illustrations are perfect as always.

The countryside is where I find most of my inspiration for writing, photographing, curating and, well, eating! Farming forms the building blocks of food, and in terms of cheese, it’s the foundation for determining the quality of milk used for cheesemaking. Through a selection of thirty cheesemakers (including Caws Teifi Cheese ) and their cheeses, I hope to show how British artisan cheese is profoundly connected to the land, farm animals and people involved in making it. A Portrait Of British Cheese celebrates the excellence of artisan and farmhouse cheese in the British Isles, expressing it as a product of the land, its animals, and its people, offering a snapshot of rural life, traditions and delicious dishes.There are plenty of organisations and charities out there that can help connect us with farmers and food producers. I have tried to lay out the foundations of making cheese in A Portrait of British Cheese as clearly much as possible, as it’s such a complex subject. I can’t wait to try all the recipes in the book - Stichelton ice cream with candied apples is first on my list! Cheese, perhaps more so than any other food product, can help us understand the magnitude of love and labour that goes into making the food that we eat. Graham Kirkham of Kirkham’s Lancashire (1 of 30 artisan cheesemakers in the book) said that ‘every piece of cheese is a part of history’, his cheese being made to the same recipe his great grandmother made.

With A Portrait of British Cheese, I wanted to celebrate the excellence of cheese in the British Isles. A Portrait of British Cheese celebrates the excellence of artisan and farmhouse cheese in the British Isles, expressing it as a product of the land, its animals, and its people, offering a snapshot of rural life, artisan traditions and delicious dishes. Angus Birditt's beautiful book is a celebration of artisan and farmhouses cheeses of the British Isles.I want people to see Our Isles and be inspired themselves, to conserve the natural environment in a way that makes them happy and fulfilled.

but with nowhere to house it all, so that’s when I decided to found Our Isles, a place for all of my work to come together. Several are trying to be self-sufficient, growing as much as they can on the farm and reducing expensive inputs like imported grain or soya to feed their animals.In his book he visits and documents the food, people and places dedicated to the production, enjoyment and preservation of time-honoured processes and techniques that make up the unique landscape that is British cheese. The personal stories and warmth expressed by the author make the book feel like a conversation with a friend rather than a dry textbook. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The book is rich with information and stunning photography, making it a beautiful addition to any coffee table. A Portrait of British Cheese" is a must-read for anyone interested in the traditional cheesemaking community in the British Isles.