Four New Books for Cheese Lovers

October might feel a little early to mention Christmas, but for those of us who love to plan ahead – whether you’re drawing up gift lists or stocking up your shop – now is the perfect moment to think about festive presents. Books always make a thoughtful gift, and food books in particular have a way of being both practical and indulgent: the kind of thing you want to unwrap and dive straight into with a glass of something by your side.

This year, four cheese-related titles stand out as worthy contenders for any Christmas list. Between them, Ned Palmer, Jenny Linford, Michael Finnerty and Erika Kubrick capture cheese as reference, history, and even personal salvation. These books aren’t just for food obsessives, they’re for anyone who enjoys stories, culture, comfort and a little bit of witchcraft.

A Cheesemonger’s Compendium of British & Irish Cheese, by Ned Palmer

Ned is no stranger to these pages. For good reason – he’s an eloquent writer and he knows his cheese. His Compendium, first published in 2021, quickly became a bible for cheesemongers and curd nerds across these Isles. I owe Ned an apology for not having sung its praises back then; but perhaps it’s just as well, because here we are with a newly-revised edition.

“2021 wasn’t that long ago,” you might think. True, but the years since have been anything but uneventful. Global upheavals have left their mark not only on people but on our beloved wheels, wedges, and truckles. Some cheeses have sadly disappeared from production altogether – an irreparable loss for both makers and eaters. Yet out of this tragedy comes a glimmer of good news: fourteen new cheeses now enter the canon, each given the full Palmer treatment. Bermondsey Friar, Lucky Marcel, Raedwald, and Burford are among the lucky initiates. You’ll need to crack open the book yourself to discover the others.

The entries are organised by cheese type, but it’s Ned’s voice that holds the whole feast together. Each page is seasoned with a little history, sprinkled with geography, and generously slathered with technical and sensory insight. Then, like a good rind, comes the flourish: Ned’s insider anecdotes, unearthed with the ease of someone who knows everyone in the dairy. His prose is colourful, subjective in the best way, and entirely infectious. Visually, the book is as appealing as its contents. Claire Littlejohn’s characterful illustrations give each cheese more personality than a photograph could manage.

Highmoor looks like a faded Roman roof tile and has an exciting stickiness that in a washed-rind usually indicates a fair bit of oomph in the flavour. The aroma of that rind has notes of beer, damp thatch and vinyl, reminiscent of the Wellington boot cupboard …

For those new to Ned, his earlier works, A Cheesemonger’s History of the the British Isles and A Chesemonger’s Tour de France are also worth a place on your shelf, because they’re pretty good too!

Repast, The Story of Food, by Jenny Linford

This isn’t a book on the history of cheese – been there, done that. In fact, there is really very little cheese content in this, Jenny’s fifteenth published book. Instead, what we do have is a beautiful chronicle of the history, culture and social aspects of all foods, eating habits and trends, across the globe, reaching back to times of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

Jenny reveals the many influences that have effected the evolution of food production, preparation and consumption, with chapters dedicated to dining out, eating in, shopping, alcohol, preserving, feasting and fasting, as well as agriculture, fishing and religion. Each chapter is written in Jenny’s wonderfully considered prose and are brought to life with a prodigious cornucopia of rare illustrations, artifacts and antiquities (all derived from the British Museum), including a Roman food shopping list from Vindolanda (near Hadrian’s Wall) below, a hand-coloured etching dating back to 1805, illustrating the long-standing antipathy between the French and English food cultures, a twelfth-century draughts piece made of walrus ivory depicting a cow suckling its calf, whilst a terracotta donkey, dating back to c350 BCE, carries a mortarium (grinding bowl) that contains a miniature cheese grater, cheese and garlic, signifying perhaps the earliest production of pesto.

Whilst the book looks back at food and how it has helped shape who we are, it is a modern-day reminder that respect for our food and the low-waste approach of our predecessors is more important than ever.

The Cheese Cure, by Michael Finnerty

At first flick-through, I was worried – a cheese book without a single picture of cheese within! That worry was soon quelled, as I was immediately hooked, drawn in to this incredibly honest account by Canadian-born cheesemonger, Michael Finnerty. The Cheese Cure takes a personal route through the world of cheese, blending memoir with reflection and experience. Journalist-turned-cheesemonger, Michael, shares with us his unsettled lead-up to taking time-out on a successful radio broadcasting career in Montreal and then honestly chronicles the kaleidoscopic journey he takes before settling on his new profession as a London-based cheesemonger.

This includes a shift at Ottalenghi’s ROVI restaurant in Fitzrovia and a longer stint at Borough Market, introducing us affectionately to The Gateway Customer, The Kirkhams Customer and Maybe Gwendoline Christie, amongst other colourful characters cheesemongers around the world will recognise. Not to mention a few of the cheesemongers he meets along the way, who will be well-known to many who have worked in the UK mongering-scene.

This wasn’t the only introduction for me – I discovered a new cheese, one that I am bound to seek out. Michael’s evocative account of his first tasting of 1924 (a pre-AOP version of Roquefort) has left me wanting:

En bouche, it’s a full-spectrum umami headrush. It’s salt-forward with a hint of pan-drippings from a Sunday roast … Once I had a taste, the sheer intensity of the flavours was such that my brain could not escape its call … I begun to understand Odysseus, tied to the mast of his ship while the Sirens called.

Written with warmth and passion, each chapter analogises one (mainly French) classic and includes practical tips on how to pair and serve, along with a Fun Fact. And it is between these practical, informative pages that you realise cheese to Michael is more than just sustenance and a way to make a living, it becomes a source of solace, meaning and even redemption.

Cheese Magic, by Erika Kubick

Erika Kubick has cast another spell on the cheese world – literally. Cheese Magic isn’t just another cheese manual; it’s a complete grimoire of dairy delights. This isn’t your standard “how to choose a Brie versus a Blue.” Oh no, Erika sweeps us through the calendar year, guided not by the predictability of seasons but by eight ancient sabbats – festivals that align with the earth, sun, and moon. Each chapter offers up recipes, boards, and pairings fit for feasting under the stars.

What’s most enchanting is Erika’s breadth of knowledge. She knows her onions (and her bread, her cheese, and her spells). Each ingredient is introduced as a “Magical Correspondence,” imbuing dishes with energy, health, or simply a bit of mischievous delight. Stir them together, and suddenly you’re not just making a Blue Cheese Yule Log or Lavender Goat Cheese Truffles, you’re conjuring a moment.

And then there are the cocktails (I’ll raise a glass of Sleep Potion to that!). Somewhere between the Lucky Parm Beans (stir three times, though Erika won’t say if this is witchcraft or just insurance against lumps) and the Love Spells, you realise this isn’t a book to keep pristine on the shelf. It’s one to splash wine on, drip honey over, and smear with chèvre.

Kubick’s eccentric wit keeps the whole thing bubbling like a cauldron of fondue. Always playful, yet firmly grounded in her philosophy of food as connection, ritual, and joy. By the final page, you’ll believe cheese really can sing to the moon.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a golden goose to catch.

Coming Soon:

One Cheese to Rule Them All: In Search of the World’s 100 Best Cheeses by Patrick McGuigan and Carlos Yescas

A globe-trotting guide to 100 of the world’s best cheeses, One Cheese to Rule Them All is part handbook, part travelogue, and entirely delicious. World Cheese Awards judges Patrick McGuigan and Carlos Yescas distill decades of tasting experience into profiles that reveal history, texture, taste, and perfect pairings. Whether you swear by Comté or dream of Rogue River Blue, this book is a must-have for cheese lovers, foodie friends, and anyone on a quest to find the ultimate cheese. Available Nov. 11, 2025.

Rachel Holding | Academy of Cheese Writer

Member of the Academy, Rachel loves a good cheese and wine session. Her love of all cheeses, artisanal or otherwise, has grown from her early years of working on the cheese counter at Fortnum & Mason.  She has a personal mission to taste as many cheeses as possible and to encourage this passion in others.