The Cheese Cure by Michael Finnerty (In Michael's own words)

If you’re a regular at Mons Cheesemongers, you may appear in The Cheese Cure: How Comté and Camembert Fed My Soul, some of you do by name, and this blog post begins with heartfelt appreciation for all of you, because you have taught me so much.

I’ve been mongering at Mons for six years and counting, mostly at Borough Market, but also in East Dulwich, Brockley Market and in Bermondsey. Believe me when I say it’s the exchanges with you, your love and curiosity for cheese, that lift all of us up each day. Without your patronage, there’d be no Mons, that much is obvious, but more than that, your passion for cheese makes mongering gratifying and such a daily pleasure. So please keep tasting with us, keep chatting to us about your cheesy proclivities, exchanging cheeseboard ideas, challenging us to be better and asking us questions. We love it. 

The Cheese Cure’s pages are filled with scenes from the cheese counter; scenes where you make us smile, work harder, laugh out loud, and discover new things not just about cheese, but about how and why you enjoy it and all it means to you.

The Cheese Cure began life as a set of notes I took dutifully after each shift. I signed up to be an apprentice cheesemonger at Mons after 20 years working as a journalist for BBC News, the Guardian, and in Canada (where I was born) for CBC Radio. I was a breakfast show presenter in Montreal for more than a decade. It was a job I loved, but after years of 3 a.m. alarms and the constant pressure of finding new topics, making sure I was across the news and ready to interview opinion leaders at the drop of a hat, I was as flat as a piece of Comté that’d been cut too long from the wheel: no brightness, no spark.

I left Montreal and returned to London during a sabbatical, but quickly realised that I needed some work. One day, walking through Borough Market, I saw an ad from Mons for a cheesemonger. I applied and got the job (after displaying some flair at scrubbing the stairs at the shop on Lordship Lane). I knew French cheeses from some time spent as a lycéen in St-Étienne in my youth, so the seeds for my new-found passion had already been planted. Still, I was taken aback after crossing the threshold into the magical world of cheese and its inhabitants, the Mons crew. I couldn’t believe how gloriously strange and exciting it all was, and how much there was to learn. 

I mentioned dutifully taking notes. It wasn’t the intention at the outset, but after starting my apprenticeship and, even though the whole point of the job was to take a break from journalism, I couldn’t escape the feeling that if I could relay what I was experiencing to people with anything like the enchantment and discovery it had for me, they would be able to share in it and that would be a marvellous thing.

Published by HarperCollins UK, The Cheese Cure is a chronicle of my journey from near-burn-out to cheesy fulfillment. Much of the action occurs at Borough Market, but also at 153 Lordship Lane and at the Mons maturing warehouse, ‘Cheese HQ’ in Bermondsey. It tells of the day we sheltered customers in our fridge during a terrorist attack on London Bridge. It’s a feast of geeky cheese knowledge, and a love letter to cheesemongering, cheesemongers, and to Mons for welcoming me into the fraternity.

Above all, it’s meant to bring nourishment, joy and delight – like the cheeses it celebrates – a fast-paced, fun read that will whisk you away from the darker news of the day and deep into cheeseworld. If you’ve ever fantasised about being a cheesemonger but can’t sign up, this is the next best thing.

After each short chapter, I profile one cheese with some history, fun facts, pairing and presentation tips. One way to read the book is to buy the 36 cheeses, one per chapter, and eat your way along. If that’s too ambitious an undertaking for you (but really, is it?) then you can also take advantage of the Mons Cheese Cure Collection, which includes a copy of the book and six of the cheeses that feature prominently, including, of course, Comté and Camembert. 

It’s a great gift for the cheese lover in your life.  After a couple of weeks getting the word out at Cheltenham Literature Festival, Hatchards Piccadilly, and launching the book in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, I have been back since 1st November behind Mons cheese counters for the thrilling lead-up to Christmas and right into the New Year. I look forward to seeing you there over the holidays and the winter, matching you with the cheeses that are right for you, and stealing a few minutes to chat.