Juliet Harbutt is a New Zealand cheese expert.[2] She is an author, judge, consultant, campaigner, speaker, educator and tour guide. She acted as consultant to Prince Charles and Alex James when they were developing their own cheeses.[3] In the 1990s she worked with Tesco in devising their cheese classification system.[4] In 2000 she created The Great British Cheese Festival.

Juliet Harbutt
Born
Auckland, New Zealand
Other namesMaster of Cheese [1]
Occupation(s)Cheese expert: author, educator, judge, campaigner, consultant, trainer and speaker
Websitewww.thecheeseweb.com

Career

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In the 1970s Harbutt opened a café deli, The Parson’s Nose in Wellington, New Zealand. In 1983, while travelling around Europe, she attended cookery classes in Paris,[5] where she discovered a passion for cheese, saying it was “a revelation to someone who had grown up with block cheddar.”[6] She also visited Steven Spurrier’s wine shop Les Caves de la Madeleine.[7]

After selling The Parson’s Nose she moved to England in 1983,[8] where she co-founded Jeroboams – the Wine and Cheese Shop, in South Kensington, which was “largely responsible for introducing London to a whole new cheese concept.” After realising that “selling cheese was not enough” she sold the company to her partner in 1991, moved to the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire, where she ran cheese-related masterclasses and events and began to publish books.[9]

She acted as a cheese consultant for clients that included Tesco, Harrods and Marks & Spencer.[10][11] She has judged cheese competitions in Switzerland, France and America.[12] She is a member of the Guild des Fromagers - Confrerie de Saint-Uguzon and Chevaliers de Tastefromage.[13] In 1992 she was given the title Confrerie des Chevaliers du Taste-Fromage de France.[14] She has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy.[15] She has helped many people design and launch their own cheeses, including the then Prince Charles and her Cotswolds neighbour, Alex James.[16][17]

Highlights include:

  • 1989 – helped establish the UK's Specialist Cheesemakers Association
  • 1994 – founded the British Cheese Awards,[18] including devising a system for classifying cheeses by the type of rind and the fat content.[19] She sold the awards to the Royal Bath and West of England Society in 2015.[20]
  • 1994 – created the New Zealand Cheese Awards[21]
  • 1998 – developed Tesco's cheese classification system[22]
  • 1998 – joined the Slow Food movement,[23][24] setting up the Cotswold Convivium[25]
  • 2000 – created The Great British Cheese Festival[26]

In 2016, after 35 years in England she moved to Hawke's Bay, New Zealand[27] where she established Hunter Gatherer Tours.[28]

Cheese making and selecting

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Harbutt made two cheeses with Alex James: Little Wallop (2007) and Farleigh Wallop (2009),[29] the latter won the Best Goat’s Cheese award at the 2009 British Cheese Awards.[30]

She created the Simply the Best range, a selection of award-winning artisanal English cheeses, including Creamy Lancashire, Smoked Lyburn and Double Gloucester.[31]

Publications

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  • The Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association Guide to the Finest Cheese of Britain and Ireland (1999) Pub. Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association
  • Cheese: A Complete Guide to Over 300 Cheeses of Distinction (1999) Pub. Mitchell Beazley
  • The Wine and Cheese Collection with Roz Denny and Stuart Walton (1999) Pub. Anness Publishing
  • A Cook’s Guide to Cheese (2000) with Roz Denny. Pub. Hermes House
  • Cheese: A Feast of International Dishes (2001) with Roz Denny. Pub. Hermes House
  • Cheese: A Comprehensive Guide to Cheeses of the World (2002) Pub. Anness Publishing
  • The World Encyclopaedia of Cheese (2002) with Roz Denny. Pub. Anness Publishing
  • British Cheese Directory (2002) Pub. Juliet Harbutt
  • The Cheese Lover’s Kitchen Handbook (2004) with Roz Denny. Pub. Southwater
  • Cheese: A Visual Guide to 400 Cheeses with 150 Recipes: A Directory of the World’s Best (2008) with Roz Denny. Pub. Southwater
  • Cheeses and How to Use Them (2009) with Roz Denny. Pub. Southwater
  • World Cheese Book (2009) (translated into 9 languages) Pub. Dorling Kindersley[32]
  • Leith’s Easy Dinner Parties (2009) contributor. Pub. Bloomsbury
  • Illustrated Cook’s Guide to Cheese: A Comprehensive Visual Identifier to the Cheeses of the World (2010) with Kate Whiteman. Pub. Southwater
  • Wine and Cheese: A Complete Guide to the World of Wine and Cheese (2010) with Stuart Walton. Pub. Anness Publishing
  • The Illustrated Cook’s Book of Ingredients (2010) contributor. Pub. DK Publishing

She has written for magazines, including Bon Appétit (USA), Cheese Buyer Magazine,[33] Speciality Food,[34] Dish.co.nz,[35] and NZ House and Garden.[36]

TV and radio

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Harbutt has made regular radio appearances. She has also appeared on BBC 1's Eat Your Words (1996),[37] Ready Steady Cook, Saturday Kitchen, The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain (2009), Come Dine with Me (winner) (2009)[38][39] and BBC 4's The Food Programme - A Life Through Food (2015).[40]

Awards

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  • 2006 Dairy Person of The Year[41]
  • 2008 Good Housekeeping’s Favourite Food Hero[42]
  • 2008 Cotswold Life Food Personality of the Year[43]
  • 2010 Food Book of the Year for the World Food Book[44]
  • 2010 Guild of Food Writers Award for The World Cheese Book[45]
  • 2010 New Zealander of the Year (UK) (finalist) [46]

See also

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Eat Up! The Best British Cooking Is Not Dead, It’s Just Hiding (2010) Pub. Kyle Cathie

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References

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  1. ^ afternoon. "Master of Cheese Juliet Harbutt". rnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  2. ^ Peter Marsh. "Britain is now the big cheese in Europe". ft.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  3. ^ Katie Jarvis. "Cheese Making: Cotswolds". greatbritishlife.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  4. ^ Bell, Annie (2017). The modern dairy : nourishing recipes using milk, yogurt, cheese and cream : discover the science behind this nutritional powerhouse. London: Kyle Books. p. 26. ISBN 978-0857833587.
  5. ^ Natalie Whittle. "FT Foodies: Juliet Harbutt". ft.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  6. ^ Helen Peacocke. "Profile: Juliet Harbutt – Farewell to the cheese lady". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  7. ^ Natalie Whittle. "FT Foodies: Juliet Harbutt". ft.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  8. ^ Tim Walker. "Why the cheese knives are out". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  9. ^ Helen Peacocke. "Profile: Juliet Harbutt – Farewell to the cheese lady". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  10. ^ "Artisan Cheese Masterclass". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  11. ^ Tamasin Day Lewis. "The Cream of Cheese". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  12. ^ Katy Jones. "Don't make a 2nd-rate camembert, Kiwi cheese-makers told – be unique". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  13. ^ Harbutt, Juliet (1999). Cheese. London: Mitchell Beazley. p. 195. ISBN 1840000805.
  14. ^ Alice Neville. "Don't call your cheese Brie". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  15. ^ Lesley Tate. "Andy Swinscoe of the Courtyard Dairy in Settle heads to Italy". cravenherald.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  16. ^ Metropol. "A life championing cheese". metropol.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  17. ^ "Alex James says 'cheese' in the country". foodepedia.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  18. ^ Tim Walker. "British cheese awards: The big cheeses and the people judging them". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  19. ^ Bell, Annie (2017). The modern dairy : nourishing recipes using milk, yogurt, cheese and cream : discover the science behind this nutritional powerhouse. London: Kyle Books. p. 26. ISBN 978-0857833587.
  20. ^ Metropol. "A life championing cheese". metropol.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  21. ^ RNZ. "Hawkes Bay-based international cheese judge wants more New Zealand cheese on the shelf". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  22. ^ "Say Cheese!". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool, UK. 1994-03-15. p. 28.
  23. ^ Helen Peacocke. "Slow food fans go mad for asparagus". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  24. ^ Campion, Charles (2010). Eat up! The Best British Cooking is not dead, it's just hiding. London: Kyle Cathie. p. 128. ISBN 9781856268561.
  25. ^ Fiona Beckett (1999-03-14). "How slow can you go?". Scotland on Sunday. Edinburgh, UK. p. 116.
  26. ^ Metropol. "A life championing cheese". metropol.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  27. ^ RNZ. "Hawkes-Bay based international cheese judge wants more cheeses on the shelves". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  28. ^ Anna Tait-Jamieson. "International cheese expert Juliet Harbutt on why she has returned to the Hawke's Bay to set up Hunter Gatherer food tours". thisnzlife.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  29. ^ Jarvis, Kate (2009). Cotswolds. Richmond, UK: Crimson. p. 215. ISBN 9781854584632.
  30. ^ Simon Reynolds. "James names cheese after New Order track". digitalspy.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  31. ^ Andy Shay. "Juliet Harbutt leads British Cheese invasion at Sobeys". cheeselover.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  32. ^ "Award 2010 winners". gfw.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  33. ^ Juliet Harbutt (November 2015). "Juliet Harbutt's Best British Blues". Speciality Food. Colchester, UK: Artichoke Media. p. 47.
  34. ^ Juliet Harbutt (March 2015). "Small bites". NZ House and Garden. Christchurch, NZ: Fairfax Magazines. p. 133.
  35. ^ Juliet Harbutt. "Stories of Cheese: A Case of the blues". dish.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  36. ^ "Small bites". NZ House and Garden. Christchurch, NZ: Fairfax Magazines. March 2015. p. 133.
  37. ^ Lynda Kettle. "Eat your words". pebblemill.org. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  38. ^ Sudehs Kissun. "Kiwis help rebuild Sri Lankan dairy industry". ruralnewsgroup.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  39. ^ Sayer, David (2009). Come dine with me: How to throw the perfect dinner party. London: Channel 4. p. 80. ISBN 978-1905026623.
  40. ^ "The Food Programme". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  41. ^ Helen Peacocke. "Profile: Juliet Harbutt – Farewell to the cheese lady". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  42. ^ Helen Peacocke. "Profile: Juliet Harbutt – Farewell to the cheese lady". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  43. ^ Helen Peacocke. "Profile: Juliet Harbutt – Farewell to the cheese lady". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  44. ^ Mark Easton. "Map of the week: Cheese". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  45. ^ "Juliet Harbutt: A life through Food". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  46. ^ "Finalists for the 2010 New Zealanders of the Year (UK) announced". nznewsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-09.