Crowdsourcing Mornings: A Pamflyt Compiled Of Cheese – Private Press Edition

By Nathan Young on December 30, 2025

Welcome to the Crowdsourcing Mornings segment! Every weekday morning, Geek Alabama talks about and features one crowdsourcing project from crowdsourcing sites such as, Indiegogo, and others. The hope with Crowdsourcing Mornings is to feature and help a project be successful and reach its fundraising goal. Please enjoy today’s featured project!

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Ampersand Book Studio is delighted to announce the publication of A Pamflyt Compiled of Cheese, a recently rediscovered manuscript from 1580. Perfect for everyone interested in food, culture, history, Tudor language, literature… or cheesemaking, mongering and eating. A Pamflyt Compiled of Cheese is a charming and erudite gem of a book.

Unknown for more than 400 years, the manuscript emerged into public view in 2023 when the Leeds University Library Cookery collection purchased it at auction. Now, for the first time ever offered in print, A Pamflyt Compiled of Cheese shares the wisdom of ancient physicians and milkmaids.

With charm and erudition, the anonymous author combines vast knowledge of the ancients with practical knowledge from the “countrey folke, who have experience in theis matters.” In language reminiscent of Shakespeare, he shares a deep level of knowledge.

The milk of camels, asses, sows and dogs (thankfully!) does not produce cheese of the of the same high quality as that of sheep, cows and goats.
Terroir applies to cheese… “The pastures do make a difference to cheeses, for no doubte some pastures beinge sweete and of a very good grasse do yelde more milke and sweeter.”
How and how much to age cheese is important. “All theis qualityes [of cheese] in contynewance of tyme do alter, and cheese by age dothe wexe whotte and drye of temperamente.”
What, today, we call lactose intolerance was known in Tudor England. Cheese could “trobleth the belly… for cheese very newe is wyndie, and often oﬀendeth the stomake.”
Whether cheese should be eaten during religious fasting days. “In tyme of superstition some made doubte to eate cheese uppon fastinge dayes, by cawse of the rinnet which taken from the beaste did resemble fleshe.”
The transcription of the text, produced by Ruth Bramley, reveals much about Tudor food traditions.

As of December 30th, this project has raised $26,000 of their $16,000 goal. This project has 10 days left to raise as much as it can. For a pledge of $60, you will get one wood engraved illustration. For a pledge of $85, you will get one copy of A Pamflyt Compiled Of Cheese. To learn more and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ampersandbookstudio/a-pamflyt-compiled-of-cheese-private-press-edition?

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