A Cheesemonger's Tour de France - Ned Palmer

A cheesemonger's guide to the world of French cheese, complete with tasting notes and serving suggestions. And not just any cheesemonger, we've been lucky enough to have Ned Palmer spend time behind Mons' counters over the years.

Charles de Gaulle famously said it was impossible to govern a country with 246 different cheeses. And perhaps he was right. Every French cheese carries an essence of the place where it's made - its history, identity and landscape. Sometimes that's a physical thing, as the hard texture of Comté echoes its mountainous home in the Jura. Other times it's about power and politics - Brie swelling to royal dimensions due to its proximity to the French court, or Camembert gaining national status after being supplied in patriotic boxes to First World War soldiers.

In A Cheesemonger's Tour de France, Ned wends his way around the country's regions, meeting the remarkable cheesemongers who carry the torch for France's oldest and most treasured traditions. As he explains the mysteries of terroir and why each of those different fromages taste as they do, he shows that a French cheeseboard offers genuine insights into la Belle République. 

Much of the research, and indeed many of the visits, for Ned's book was in collaboration with the Mons team in france. So this one is certainly very close to home!