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. 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. From Lincolnshire Poacher to Stichelton, Baron Bigod to Brefu Bach, the book explores the diversity of cheeses and the communities that make them. Angus has captured it all so beautifully in his photos and words and Lilly’s illustrations are perfect as always. And each aspect (soil/land, pasture/feed, animal, milk quality, maker) is so variable, which makes cheese such a diverse and fascinating product.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.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. The book is rich with information and stunning photography, making it a beautiful addition to any coffee table. 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.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. 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 shines a light on the industry’s rich heritage, community and, above all, its cheesemakers, looking at how, through a mixture of knowledge and intuition, science and artistry, they create their cheese. Birditt visits and documents dairies all over the British Isles, to look at the food, people and landscapes dedicated to 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. For the making side of cheese, timings, temperatures, length of making, milk handling, weather conditions, among many more variables, all affect the make.

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. The countryside is where I find most of my inspiration for writing, photographing, curating and, well, eating!I loved that these cheeses were not only a wonderful, delicious food product but also an instrument to express heritage, tradition and history. Angus’s authenticity, his passion for sustainable food and his respect for the people behind the products shine through.

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! 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. 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.

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. This book highlights the wonderful diversity of people, scales and skills which characterise and bind together the emergent community of UK artisan cheese makers. We sat down to chat about the book and Our Isles, the platform he founded to celebrate the rural environment and the British Isles through food, nature, history and heritage.