Wow who knew how simple it is to make cheese and all of the amazing flavours and types you can make. Like most of us I have been in the supermarket marvelling at the options on offer for cheese but have never thought about making my own. This book has opened my eyes and I love the fact that not only do you get the recipe to make the cheese but also then some delicious dishes to use the cheese in. I loved it.

If you love cheese, this gorgeous encyclopedia of cheese is a must-have for your collection. Filled with color photographs and detailed descriptions, the author's mission is to help the every day cheese lover learn how to make their own cheeses at home. I think she has provided the information to make that a possibility for the dedicated home cook that wants to learn to make their own cheeses. For me, this beautiful book gave me a much deeper appreciation for all the cheeses that I love, and made me grateful that I can buy them with much less effort required! This wonderful book also includes a number of great recipes that USE cheese or are great to accompany cheese, and I am definitely going to be trying some of these. For example, the author provides a recipe for a sweet chili jam as an accompaniment to cheese that sounds really terrific that I'm dying to try. She includes recipes for several "dessert" Camemberts that all sound REALLY good: Roasted Peach Camembert, Fig Walnut and Honey Camembert, Creme Brulee Camembert and Honey and Pistachio Baked Camembert. There are a lot of cheesy goodness in this book that had me drooling, I won't lie. The book also includes information about recommended cheese and wine pairings, or cheese and other types of alcohol, which I found helpful and interesting. She offers tips on storing cheese, and how to avoid wasting cheese. Overall, I thought this book wasn't just a "how to make cheese" guide; I thought it was a loving tribute to a wide variety of cheese, and offered lots of advice on working with cheese. Even if you don't aspire to making your own, if you love cheese, I think you will love this book!

Let's get started!

I confess to having bought a hefty cheese-making kit and giving up after making curd cheese. Moving foward seemed daunting. Now, after reading half of this wonderful book, I am bursting to make cheese again.

Morgan McGlynn's text brims with enthusiasm and expertise. Cheese making is made so very accessible. Methods are very clearly explained, with step by step photos. I love the way she steadily builds up cheese-making technique through a series of appealing cheeses. It's possible to get started by making ricotta cheese with just milk, white wine vinegar, salt, a pan and thermometer, and some muslin or cheesecloth and a colander.

Equally appealing are the cheese recipes interspersed among the cheese-making. Again I am enthused, and dying to start by trying the author's version of tartiflette, and the courgette and goat's cheese tart. I'd love to make the goat's cheese myself and surely will....