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

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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. Angus has captured it all so beautifully in his photos and words and Lilly’s illustrations are perfect as always. The UK farmhouse cheese industry has faced its biggest challenges in recent years, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing many small cheesemakers out of business. I can’t wait to try all the recipes in the book - Stichelton ice cream with candied apples is first on my list!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. And each aspect (soil/land, pasture/feed, animal, milk quality, maker) is so variable, which makes cheese such a diverse and fascinating product. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. From Suffolk’s Baron Bigod to Brefu Bach sheep's milk cheese from Snowdonia, Birditt’s delicious volume guides the reader though the story of British cheese through essays, photos and irresistible recipes. For the making side of cheese, timings, temperatures, length of making, milk handling, weather conditions, among many more variables, all affect the make.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. It also goes behind the scenes, looking at aspects of the industry and cheesemaking process that are often unsung or unseen, to show what makes each cheese unique. 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.Ultimately, Our Isles is a platform to explore and appreciate subjects like artisan and regional food, nature, rural history and heritage.

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. Over time, I had created a treasure trove of words and photographs (by this point I had found a camera to snap away with! 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. 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.

I loved how these cheeses were not only a wonderful, delicious food product but also an instrument to express heritage, tradition and history. 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. Angus’s authenticity, his passion for sustainable food and his respect for the people behind the products shine through. 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.

Two cheesemakers who exemplifies this are Patrick and Becky Holden from Holden Farm Dairy in West Wales, who make Hafod cheese, a Welsh Cheddar. With beautiful photography, hearty cheese based recipes, and a new insight into each of these wonderful artisans, this will be treasured by anyone with a love of cheese, the countryside and traditional cooking. This is a beautiful book celebrating iconic British cheesemakers that transports you across the British Isles with stunning photography and stories of culture, history and families. Angus Birditt's beautiful book is a celebration of artisan and farmhouses cheeses of 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, traditions and delicious dishes.