A quest for passion and community meets deep knowledge and learning in Michael Finnerty's The Cheese Cure. A renowned journalist and radio presenter, Finnerty found something deeply lacking in the flavour of his life. What followed was a life-changing sabbatical in the historical halls of Borough Market filled with cheese-borne wisdom, eccentric characters, and a tale as gripping as it is heartfelt.
Convinced that salvation lay in the rich world of cheese, Finnerty reconsiders his successful career with the CBC after training as an apprentice cheesemonger in London. Immediately immersed into a completely unexpected universe, his love for cheese went even further than his unimaginably growing knowledge. From learning each cheese's history, complexities, and preferences - Castillon Frais must sit in its box underneath some waxed paper, while Comté often needs a quick saline bath before bed - and believing that cheeses are infused with a living spirit, to injuries, allergies, and physical exhaustion, he experienced it all. And when a devastating attack sent people fleeing Borough Market, Finnerty realized that in cheese he had found something even more important - his community.
A thriving mosaic of eclectic stories, passion, know-how, and serendipity, The Cheese Cure depicts a life lived to the fullest.
About the Author :
Michael Finnerty is a well-known London-based cheesemonger, journalist, and writer. After almost 30 years of success and acclaim in broadcasting at the CBC, BBC, and The Guardian, he found a zeal for cheese at Borough Market in London.
Review :
"The Cheese Cure is far more than a memoir; it is a roadmap to choosing happiness. Michael Finnerty has written a book that is entertaining, thoughtful, funny, warm and filled with quiet courage. He, his book, and his cheese are great company, and might even change your life."
--Louise Penny, author of international bestseller The Grey Wolf
"Michael Finnerty's genre-defying book is an account of how he dealt with his mid-life predicament by taking leave from his job as a high-flying journalist to train as a cheesemonger. It's a remarkable tale"
--Paul Levy, The Spectator
"A passionate and evocative memoir of the cheesemonger's craft, and the healing power of cheese."
--Ned Palmer, author of A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles
"I'm completely smitten by this wonderful book. Michael Finnerty's voice is so engaging, and his world jumps off the page. I feel very enriched, both by the reading experience and by the pleasure I am now taking in choosing and eating delicious cheeses. Finnerty is a fantastic and nourishing guide."
--Cathy Rentzenbrink, bestselling author of Ordinary Time
"A joy to read. Finnerty introduces us to a cast of London characters (cheesemongers and customers) almost too perfect to be real, while quietly imparting serious knowledge through vivid descriptions and fun facts about irresistible cheeses you will want to taste immediately. The Cheese Cure will delight both the curious newcomer to the cheese world and the seasoned expert who recognises their own journey through the cheese counter."
--Carlos Yescas, author of One Cheese to Rule Them All: In Search of the World's 100 Best Cheeses
"The immediate effect of the appetite-whetting The Cheese Cure is to make you want to head to your nearest monger to nibble a slice of Comté or Coulommiers. But resist the urge and keep reading! Finnerty's heartfelt memoir is an inspiring tale of a mid-career about-face, and redemption-by-curd."
--Taras Grescoe, author of The Devil's Picnic, Bottomfeeder, and The Lost Supper
"The Cheese Cure transported me straight back to Borough Market and into a beige apron, mongering alongside Michael Finnerty, with his beaming smile and contagious "joie de vivre". His writing is as engaging as his cheese mongering, with every customer delighted by the unexpected yet fascinating narrative journey Finnerty takes them on whilst simply purchasing cheese."
--Emma Young, author of The Cheese Wheel: How to choose and pair cheese like an expert
"A life-changing journey powered by wheels of cheese. Finnerty is genuinely funny, but curious and tender, too."--David Ellis, The London Standard
"A delight-ful cheese-mon-ger-ing mem-oir that is a per-suas-ive ode to mid-life career changes. This sur-pris-ingly mov-ing book will leave you fight-ing back a con-stant smile. It seems that cheese, and read-ing about it, really is good for you."--The Scottish Mail on Sunday
"Can cheese cure burnout? It did for Michael Finnerty. The Cheese Cure is the story of how Finnerty, a journalist, threw himself into the world of cheese as an apprentice monger at London's famous Borough Market. His new line of work didn't turn out to be any old job, though--it gave him community and ignited his passion for living again. It's a memoir that might feed your soul as much as Comté and Camembert fed Finnerty's."--Alana Pedalino, Cheese Cultre Magazine
