Affineur of the Year 2025: The Judging Panel

Meet The Judges

An award is only worth something if the people giving it out are accredited experts. We’ve gathered a respected panel of cheese industry professionals from a variety of different backgrounds to act as our judges. Let’s meet them.

Patrick McGuigan is a UK-based cheese writer and teacher. He writes extensively on the subject for national newspapers and magazines, as well as appearing on radio and TV shows. His first book, The Philosophy of Cheese, was published by The British Library in 2020. His second book, The Cheese Life, co-authored with Mathew Carver, was published by Kyle Books in 2023.

Svein Erik has worked for Oluf Lorentzen for 24 years and has an extensive knowledge of cheese.  He is a Member and Training Partner of the Academy of Cheese.  Svein Erik trains all the major retails in Norway, as well as his own team, and is involved in selecting which cheese will be presented to the Norwegian market.

Rhuaridh Buchanan established Buchanans Cheesemonger in 2014. With a background in hospitality, he left the restaurant world to pursue a passion for cheese, working as a maturer, retailer and wholesaler over the course of a decade. His business developed as the result of a desire to put great cheese in peak condition on the tables of London restaurants. He works closely with cheesemakers across the UK and Europe and dedicates care to their products in his maturing rooms in central London.

Founder of Culture & Culture, one of the original Academy of Cheese Training Partners, and only Japanese Training Partner. Judges at the World Cheese Awards and British Cheese Awards, Japanese writer and translator specialised in the artisan cheese sector. Originally from Japan, Kanako established “Culture & Culture” as a business providing communication services in the artisan cheese sector. She was accredited as an Academy Training Partner in 2018, and has adapted the Academy’s training content into the Japanese language to introduce the Japanese public to the world of European artisan cheese. Published author of the first ever Japanese language book on British cheeses.

Founder of La Fromagerie since 1991, Patricia has over 33 years experience in the world of cheese. Mastering the art of affinage with some of the finest cheesemakers and Masters of Cheese, she has honed her skills over the years in the way La Fromagerie approach cheesemongering.  Her love and respect for the land, the animal and all the elements that surround cheesemaking and the finished product come from not just reading books and instructions, but also using hands, eyes, sense of smell and taste and even sound. Affinage is a Science and an Art and Taste! 

With a wealth of experience in buying and product development, Sarah has been a Buyer for Waitrose for the past nine years, and in 2021 she joined the Dairy Team as a Cheese Buyer.  Sarah is currently the buyer for Waitrose’s Speciality, Ingredient and Christmas Cheese range; this includes the world-class Waitrose No 1 cheeses and those sold on its 221 cheese counters,  which are sourced from 14 different countries across the globe and from all corners of the British Isles.

She has judged at the World, International, Global, British and Virtual Cheese Awards and, earlier this year, Sarah was inducted as a Member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. 

Avril is the Specialist Cheese Category Manager at La Rousse Foods, Ireland’s premium, fine food  providers to luxury hotels, Michelin-star restaurants , hospitality, and food service businesses.  Avril is an Academy of Cheese Training Partner, holding both Level One and Level Two certifications, and has Judged at the Irish Cheese Awards, and World Cheese Awards.  Avril loves seeing the connection between the land, animals, and beautiful foods.  She has developed a close working relationship with cheesemakers across the island of Ireland, supporting them to bring their products to market.  Avril has an ardent devotion to teaching colleagues, customers and anyone who works with live-mold cheese, and sharing her knowledge of artisan and farmhouse cheese with as many people as possible.

Laurent Mons is the second son of the Mons family! Cheese’s DNA has fueled him for over thirty years now: learning to understand is his motto. Since 1995, he has been sharing his expertise with trainees from all over the world. MonS Formation, the training centre, is located directly inside Mons Caves, the best way to combine theory and practice. With Mons Formation, Laurent Mons’ goal is to share and transmit his cheese culture to as many people as possible.

Noémie is “Maître Fromager” (Cheese Master) of the Guilde International de Fromagerie and a leading international figure in the industry. She comes from the French Alpes, a region known for its cheese traditions. In 2013, Noémie created the “Ecole du fromage” (cheese school) and today continues in her mission to spread cheese education across Europe, in her role as Head of Cheese Education and Product Development’ for the French cheese company Savencia UK. She is also part of the training team of the Academy of Cheese and a judge in many international competitions, including the World Cheese Awards, Mondial du fromage and the British Cheese Awards.

Patrick has a deep-rooted passion for artisan cheese and over 23 years of experience as a professional chef. He has curated cheese selections for Michelin-starred restaurants, led wholesale operations at The Cheesegeek, and managed UK accounts for Quicke’s Traditional Clothbound Cheddar. Patrick is Academy of Cheese Level Two certified, the creator of Affineur of the Year, and serves as a judge for the Great Taste Awards. His work focuses on bringing makers and mongers closer through meaningful, lasting connections.

With 30 years’ experience in cheese education; Sue’s Paris-based business, Makers & Mongers, is dedicated to educating and connecting cheese professionals around the world.  As well as teaching professional retailing and affinage courses with MonsFormation since 2012, she has served as translator for Profession Fromager publications since 2018 and led the team that produced the Certified Cheese Professional® exam at the American Cheese Society, whilst also serving on its Board of Directors.  She teaches sensory analysis and judging, and consults on the development of cheese competitions. As well as a Member of the Academy of Cheese, Sue has earned the Certified Cheese Professional®, Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator® designations, as well as Maître Fromager by the Guilde International des Fromagers.

Sam Wilkin is the founder of Cellarman Makes, based in London, UK, where he has been leading content production and creative direction for small-scale food and farming businesses since July 2021. He is also the founder of Cellarman Sam, advocating for small-scale food and farming businesses in print media and on Radio 4 The Food Programme since September 2017. Previously, he served as the Head of Cheese at Pick and Cheese/The Cheese Bar and worked with Buchanans Cheesemonger in various roles, Sam has also judged at the World Cheese Awards, the British Cheese Awards and the Artisan Cheese Awards.