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

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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. Angus is an advocate for the rural environment, celebrating and encouraging its appreciation through his various works. There are plenty of organisations and charities out there that can help connect us with farmers and food producers. Factors like the health of the soil and the welfare and diet of the animals are things to consider in this case.

Birditt visits and documents dairies all over the British Isles, to look at the food, people and landscapes dedicated to cheeses. 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.They are a friendly bunch these cheese folk, and I’m sure they would be happy to chat about their cheeses.

However, as much as I moan about the production side of things, it opened up a world of food and drink as we visited local farmers markets and national food festivals selling our products. 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. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

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.

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. This book highlights the wonderful diversity of people, scales and skills which characterise and bind together the emergent community of UK artisan cheese makers.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. 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. According to the cheesemaker’s preferences, aspects such as humidity, salinity, airflow and temperature are controlled to mature their cheese. A Portrait of British Cheese" is a must-read for anyone interested in the traditional cheesemaking community in the British Isles. 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.

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. Cheese has always been an integral part of my life, from growing up, stuffed in packed lunches, or in recent times, melted on god knows what! 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.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.