The British Food History Podcast
Neil Buttery
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Cheddar & the Cheese Industry with Peter J. Atkins
Today, Neil talks with Emeritus Professor Peter J. Atkins about the history of Britain’s cheese industry. Britain had a diverse range of cheeses until cheddar came along and almost made artisan cheese extinct in the UK. We talk about Roman and medieval cheese, the importance of women and girls to cheese and cheesemaking, Joseph Harding ‘the father of British cheddar’, cheddar in North America, Scottish cheddar, and the inevitable dumbing down of variety and flavour when food becomes industrialised. Peter J. Atkins is a food historian and historical geographer with over 50 years of research experience. His specialization has been in perishable foods such as dairy products and he is now writing a history of British cheese. He has worked on dairy systems in South Asia and on general food history with colleagues in Europe. He is a past President of the International Commission for Research on European Food History (https://icrefh.hypotheses.org/). Subscribers: don’t forget to check out the Easter Egg tab on the website to listen to the many extras from this episode: http://britishfoodhistory.com/easter-eggs/ Neil’s book A Dark History of Sugar is available to preorder from the publishers with a 25% discount. It is available, of course, to preorder at all other bookshops https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-Dark-History-of-Sugar-Hardback/p/20481 Also, don’t forget if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email me at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or find me on twitter @neilbuttery, or Instagram dr_neil_buttery. If you like my blog posts and podcast episodes, please consider a monthly subscription or buying me a virtual coffee or a pint? Go to https://britishfoodhistory.com/support-the-blog-podcast/ for more details. Links to things mentioned in this episode: Work published by Peter complementing this episode: Vabre, S., Bruegel, M. and Atkins, P.J. (Eds)(2021) Food History: A Feast of the Senses in Europe, 1750 to the Present London: Routledge https://www.routledge.com/Food-History-A-Feast-of-the-Senses-in-Europe-1750-to-the-Present/Vabre-Bruegel-Atkins/p/book/9780367515584 Atkins, P.J. (2016) A History of Uncertainty: Bovine Tuberculosis in Britain, 1850 to the Present Winchester: Winchester University Press ISBN: 9781906113179 https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Uncertainty-Tuberculosis-Perspectives-Veterinary/dp/1906113173 Harvey & Brockless range of British Cheeses: https://www.harveyandbrockless.co.uk/category/artisan-cheese/british-cheese Neil’s new blog post ‘The Return of Traditional Cheesemaking’ with toasted cheese recipe: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2022/04/26/the-return-of-the-british-cheese-industry/ Neil on 'Table Talk' podcast with Stefan Gates via Food Matters Live: https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/podcast/the-dark-history-of-sugar-food-podcasts/ A post about clotted (or clouted) cream from Neil’s blog: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2019/10/11/clotted-cream/ Two more cheese recipes: Welsh Rarebit & Locket’s Savoury: https://britishfoodhistory.com/2018/02/18/welsh-rarebit-lockets-savoury/
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