Gimblett Cheese Projects

Cheese Guide, Individual and Group Tasting Packs, Online Events, Campaign For British Cheese, Cheesemaking

When we started making cheese we encountered many who helped us set up and bring our cheese to market. Foremost were our dairy consultant Paul Thomas, business consultant Dr Eric Wood and designer Andrew Till (with all of whom I am preparing a separate venture to assist aspiring cheesemakers and cheesemongers to market) but we came to value other champions of British artisan cheese, without whom the artisan cheese industry would be a poorer place. These I recommend as essential avenues to explore should you be considering a calling in artisan cheese.

Association

The Specialist Cheesemakers Association (SCA)

An alliance of cheesemakers, retailers, wholesalers, and those engaged with artisan cheese in other quarters, the SCA is the body that binds the artisan cheese industry in the UK. It was set up in 1989 to encourage excellence in cheesemaking and provide a forum for members to exchange ideas as well as represent the interests of members to the Government and media. It has since developed a range of resources and events invaluable for anyone involved in the artisan cheese industry.

Association

Specialist Cheesemakers Association - Ordering artisan cheese from source.

Buy directly from the producers.

Discover cheese local to you with the Specialist Cheesemakers Association map of farmhouse and artisan cheesemakers that offer an on-line shop and/or a delivery service.

Association

The Academy of Cheese

A dynamic not-for-profit organisation, the academy promotes cheese knowledge for the industry and public via four certificate courses ranging from Associate to Master of Cheese. Multiple UK locations.

Learning

The School of Artisan Food

Based on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, this award-winning charity is dedicated to learning about healthy, sustainable food. Its cheese courses are a cornerstone to artisan teaching and are run by world-class tutors.

Reading

Home Made Cheese: Artisan Cheesemaking Made Simple

Paul Thomas

A great way to introduce yourself to the practicalities of cheesemaking, Paul shows you how to transform milk into cheese at home. His definitive book explains, with easy-to-follow instructions and pictures to guide you through all the stages involved, how to create a wide range of dairy products, from simple yogurt, cream and butter through to mozzarella, lactic cheeses, Cheddar, Stilton, Gouda, Brie and other popular varieties of cheese.

Reading

American Farmstead Cheese

Paul Kinstedt

This broad-ranging and insightful guide to cheesemaking explains the diversity of cheeses in terms of historical animal husbandry, pastures, climate, preservation, and transport; all of which contribute to the uniqueness of farm cheeses today. A must for anyone wishing to make cheese and find their own point of difference.

Reading

A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles

Ned Palmer

An important book for anyone wishing either to find a niche in cheesemaking, improve their lot as a cheesemonger, or simply understand the country’s rich cheese heritage for pleasure. And the book is certainly a pleasure, turophile or not. A beautifully written time-tour, Ned’s writing achieves the pace of a novel, conjures imagery as vibrantly as film and laces the narrative with humour worthy of one dedicated to comedy.

Reading

Reinventing the Wheel

Bronwen and Francis Percival

In little more than a century, the drive towards industrial and intensive farming has altered every aspect of the cheesemaking process, from the bodies of the animals that provide the milk to the science behind the microbial strains that ferment it. Reinventing the Wheel explores what has been lost as expressive, artisanal cheeses that convey a sense of place have given way to the juggernaut of homogeneous factory production.