The cheese industry is broad and complex and there is no shortage of ways you can work within it, from cheesemaking to selling cheese and everything in between. To highlight some of the opportunities out there we called our cheese community to share their experience of working with cheese and their tips on how to get involved. We continue the series with a spotlight on food writer Jenny Linford.
About Jenny Linford
Jenny Linford is a well-established food writer, a longstanding member of the Guild of Food Writers and author of over 15 books. Her journalism has appeared in many newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, The Guardian, Delicious, BBC Good Food, The Simple Things and Fine Cooking.
My favourite thing about the Academy of Cheese is… It is championing and sharing proper cheese knowledge.
A Q&A with Food Writer Jenny Linford
I’ve been writing about food, including cheese, for 29 years
My current job title is ‘Food Writer’ and in my role I’m responsible for … writing books and articles about food. One of my books was Great British Cheeses, the first fully illustrated guide to Britain’s cheese scene.
A typical workday involves … One of the things that keeps my work as a food writer interesting is that there’s no such thing as a typical day. I might be out visiting a food producer, doing telephone interviews for an article, recipe testing in my kitchen or researching a book in the British Library
My favourite part of my job is … Talking to people!
In my career I’m most proud of… Writing my book The Missing Ingredient – the Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavour. A very personal project, which took me years to research and write, it’s now a Penguin paperback.
The worst part of my job is … transcribing interviews – which takes ages!
My advice for someone wanting to become a Food Writer would be … To be a food writer you need a genuine interest in food and an ability to write. Doing a journalism course would be a good way to acquire some practical writing skills.
A journalism course would be a good way to acquire some practical writing skills
I studied with Academy of Cheese because … I’ve long been fascinated by cheese.
My favourite thing about Academy of Cheese is… It is championing and sharing proper cheese knowledge.
I see the future of the cheese industry as … I’ve watched the artisan British cheese scene rise and grow. The coronavirus crisis is a challenging time, but I hope more committed cheesemakers will begin making new and traditional British cheeses.
My favourite cheese is … and I like to enjoy it with … St James, a characterful ewe’s milk cheese made by Martin Gott. I eat it on its own or with oatcakes.
My Christmas 2020 cheeseboard will definitely include … Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Colston Bassett Stilton – with its wonderful creamy texture and rich umami flavours.
You can read about other ways the Academy of Cheese supports the cheese industry HERE
