The Academy of Cheese and Devon-based cheesemaker, Quicke's, are delighted to be taking “Affineur of the Year” into its second year after its successful launch last year. 

The first ever Affineur of the Year competition was initially set up to help recognise and celebrate the age-old art of maturing cheese, or “affinage”.   In March 2021, eight truckles of Quicke's cheddar were sent to the maturing rooms of cheesemongers and cheesemakers across the UK, where they stayed under the care of each competitor for the duration of the competition. Following 11 months of turning, tweaking and grading, the truckles were judged by a panel of industry experts at the final event, held in London on 27 April 2022, where the overall winner, Rennet & Rind, received the coveted award of Affineur of the Year 2022.

Building upon the success of this first year, and to widespread industry approval, the Academy of Cheese and Quicke's are delighted to be extending the competition out to include four different cheeses, to encompass a larger spectrum of affinage techniques.  The cheeses have been selected, based on the Academy's Make / Post-Make model, and include:

Quicke's Cheddar – Hard

White Lake Solstice – Soft/Washed Rind

Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton – Crumbly/Internal Mould-Ripened

Fen Farm Dairy Baron Bigod – Soft/External Mould-Ripened

The organisers are delighted many of last year's competitors will be taking part, as well as welcoming new ones from across the UK and Northern Ireland, ready to take on the challenge. This highly respected line-up of cheesemongers and cheesemakers will bring their wealth of knowledge and experience to the fore and allow them to experiment and demonstrate a full range of affinage techniques specific to those categories, including temperature and humidity levels and exposure to unique microflora. Essentially, it is their chance to showcase the skill and artistry that is involved in guiding a cheese to its full potential.

Competitors will be expected to record their techniques and progress along the way and will ultimately be judged on aspects including flavour, aroma, texture, appearance and innovation.

All of the cheeses will be presented and judged by a select committee of industry experts at the live finals event in London, where a winner will be selected for each category and an overall winner will be crowned “Affineur of the Year 2023”.  This event, which is open to trade and public, will be held at The China Exchange in London, on 14th June 2023.

What was originally acknowledged as an experiment looks set to become a regular fixture on the cheese industry's calendar of events.

For more press information or images, please contact tracey.colley@academyofcheese.org

July 2022

Notes to editor

Academy of Cheese

The Academy of Cheese is an impartial, not for profit organisation, created in 2016 to establish an industry supported, recognised and certified development programme to promote cheese knowledge, cheese education and careers in cheese. Academy courses educate both consumers and professionals through four levels of certification culminating in the highly anticipated accolade of Master of Cheese.  

Web: academyofcheese.org

Twitter: @cheese_academy

Instagram: cheese_academy

Facebook: academyofcheese

Quicke's

Nurturing the family's land for 14 generations, Quicke's crafts outstanding cheese from an idyllic corner of Devon. Understanding that great cheesemaking is an art, which begins out in the fields, Quicke's farmers carefully manage their ancient pastures, feeding specially bred cows on lush grass year-round so that they give the very best milk, a true expression of the landscape from which it came. The milk is collected each morning using time-honoured methods and each truckle is handmade, cloth-bound and slow-matured in the cool quiet of the farm's maturing rooms.

For Quicke's press information please contact harry@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk or emilie@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk 

Web: www.quickes.co.uk

Twitter: @QuickesCheese

Instagram: quickescheese

Facebook: quickescheese