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

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A Portrait of British Cheese" is a must-read for anyone interested in the traditional cheesemaking community in the British Isles.

The personal stories and warmth expressed by the author make the book feel like a conversation with a friend rather than a dry textbook.It is one of those rare food products can be spoken about in the same sentence as terroir – loosely defined as ‘evoking the character of the land’ or more broadly, the ecosystem. For the making side of cheese, timings, temperatures, length of making, milk handling, weather conditions, among many more variables, all affect the make.

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. Birditt has been visiting and documenting dairies all over the British Isles, looking at the food, people and landscapes dedicated to artisan and farmhouse cheeses. 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. I love trying regional food and travelling to different regions in the British Isles, so artisan cheese seemed to be the perfect food product that expressed the former and allowed me the excuse to travel. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

The public's discovery and support for speciality cheeses has helped many producers to survive, and this book is a tribute to their hard work and dedication. An exploration of the people, processes, stories and histories behind the incredible cheese made in the British Isles, A Portrait of British Cheese is a beautiful, thoughtful book that charts 30 farmhouse cheesemakers around the UK. Birditt, the book takes readers on a journey through the stories, people, and landscapes dedicated to artisan and farmhouse cheeses. The farmhouse cheesemakers I have visited work to the highest levels of animal welfare, and many are looking to become more sustainable with what they are putting onto the land and feeding their animals for the best possible milk for cheesemaking. I loved how these cheeses were not only a wonderful, delicious food product but also an instrument to express heritage, tradition and history.

The book is rich with information and stunning photography, making it a beautiful addition to any coffee table. Angus is an advocate for the rural environment, celebrating and encouraging its appreciation through his various works. It now also encompasses other rural creatives, sharing and supporting them as much as possible as we do in our online editorial, Stories within Our Isles. 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. They are a friendly bunch these cheese folk, and I’m sure they would be happy to chat about their cheeses.From Lincolnshire Poacher to Stichelton (the original Stilton), Britain's own Brie in the form of Baron Bigod from Suffolk, to Brefu Bach sheep's milk cheese from Snowdonia and Appleby's Cheshire cheese from the heart of Shropshire, this unique journey through photos, essays and recipes, revealing the joys and challenges of a life in cheesemaking. Darker than' is Tanmay's collection of handmade clothes inspired by his response to the changing landscape and light of Seven Sisters in East Sussex. With A Portrait of British Cheese, I wanted to celebrate the excellence of cheese in the British Isles. Birditt visits and documents dairies all over the British Isles, to look at the food, people and landscapes dedicated to cheeses. According to the cheesemaker’s preferences, aspects such as humidity, salinity, airflow and temperature are controlled to mature their cheese.

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. Farming – as many farmers and farmhouse cheesemakers are finding out – is arguably the most important stage in relation to the health of the land, animals and the consumers.I found myself starting to collect a body of work (photographs and prose) on various cheesemakers across the British Isles, fascinated by their deep knowledge of their local landscape and ecosystem, and their care for their animals.