A cheesemonger's guide to the world of French cheese, complete with tasting notes and serving suggestions

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 Palmer 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.

"Praise for A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles: A delightful and informative romp through centuries of British cheesemaking ... it would make a fine Christmas present, along with a wedge of SparkenhoeRed Leicester" - Guardian

"Palmer writes with pace and passion, and his encounters with modern-day practitioners fizz with infectious delight ... Full of flavour." - Sunday Times

"Part history, part travelogue and part tasting menu ... an utter delight, rousing, infectiously impassioned and inspiring." - Spectator