A cheesemongers history of the British Isles Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking from the eccentric and engaging characters who have revived and reinvented farmhouse and artisan traditions. And we get to know the major cheese styles the blues washed rinds semi softs and unique to the British Isles the territorials and discover how best to enjoy them on a cheeseboard with a glass of Reisling or as a Welsh rarebit alongside a pint of Pale Ale Neolithic feasting 4000 BCE 43 CE What the Romans did for our cheese 43 CE 1066 The benefit of monks 1066 1348 Market forces 1348 1547 Big cheese 1547 1688 The birth of a brand 1688 1837 Ploughmans lunch 1837 1901 Farmhouse to factory 1901 74 The great cheese renaissance 1974 99 Let a thousand cheeses bloom 2000 .