Nigel White’s history of British cheesemaking, tracing how milk supply, trade, transport, wars and agricultural policy shaped the industry. A useful companion to technical cheese references: it explains the decline of farmhouse production, the growth of creameries and the later revival of specialist cheeses. Published by the Society of Dairy Technology in 2018.
Nigel White’s history asks how Britain’s cheese industry arrived at its modern shape. The answer runs through milk supply, transport, trade and government policy as much as through changes in the dairy. It follows the industry from early cheesemaking to 2018, bringing production and market figures alongside the history of the main British varieties.
The central argument
The availability and price of milk repeatedly determined whether cheese could be made profitably. As railways opened urban markets, selling liquid milk offered many farms a simpler and faster return than making and maturing cheese. Imported factory cheese also competed on consistency and price. The result was a decline in farmhouse production, followed by a gradual shift towards larger creameries.
White traces the effect of the two world wars, the Milk Marketing Boards, post-war agricultural support, entry into the European Economic Community, milk quotas and the eventual dismantling of the marketing boards. These changes altered access to milk and the balance between farmhouse, factory and imported cheese. Later chapters examine consolidation, branded mature Cheddar and the revival of specialist and artisan production.
Why it is useful
A useful reference for understanding why a territorial cheese’s commercial history may diverge from its technical tradition. It connects the survival and revival of varieties with the economics of milk, distribution and consumer demand. For cheesemakers and cheesemongers, it provides context for decisions about scale, maturation, distinctiveness and routes to market.
This is an industry history written from the author’s experience in dairy economics and cheese marketing. Its market figures, company structures and outlook belong to the period covered, ending in 2018.
Read the source: The Evolution of the British Cheese Industry — publisher-hosted PDF.
Citation: White, Nigel (2018). The Evolution of the British Cheese Industry. Society of Dairy Technology. ISBN 978-0-900681-12-7. Copyright remains with the Society of Dairy Technology; the full document is linked at its source.