Cheesemaker Spotlight: Ceri Cryer’s Academy of Cheese Success and Wiltshire’s Cheesemaking Revival

Ceri Cryer is more than just a cheesemaker – she’s a fifth-generation custodian of one of Britain’s most historic dairy herds, a champion of heritage recipes, and a passionate student of her craft. From reviving the long-lost Wiltshire Loaf to experimenting with new creations like “Chaddar,” Ceri has blended family tradition with modern innovation.

Her recent studies with the Academy of Cheese, culminating in Fellowship status, have deepened her technical expertise and strengthened her connection to the wider cheese community. In this interview, we discover how Ceri’s love for learning, competitive spirit, and dedication to quality have shaped her journey from the family farm to the forefront of the British artisan cheese world.

Hello Ceri! What is your relationship with cheese?

I manage Brinkworth Dairy Farm in North Wiltshire, along with my husband Chad. We have a herd of 150 Holstein Friesian cows – the oldest pedigree Friesian herd in the country, established in 1910 by my great grandfather William Collingborn. I am actually the fifth generation of our family to produce cheese on this farm, although this wasn’t inevitable. I originally taught secondary school science but became disillusioned with the classroom management aspect and in 2005 Chad persuaded me that we should become more involved with the farm instead. I initially focused on bringing back the historic Wiltshire Loaf – mentioned by Jane Austen in two of her novels – which William Collingborn himself would have known. This ultimately went on to win Best Territorial Cheese at the British Cheese Awards. We now make a range of farmhouse cheeses, and also butter, yogurt, ice cream and kefir.

How did you first hear about the Academy of Cheese courses?

It’s a curious story! My friend Deborah is a writer and she once interviewed a couple in Mexico who make cheese there, for an article in Time magazine. In 2022, this couple came to the UK for the World Cheese Awards in Wales, and Deborah asked the organisers (Guild of Fine Food) if she could come along as well. They said yes – and since you work in cheese, why don’t you be a judge as well? They had seen her article in Time, and thought she was an expert. So, she came to me for advice because I had already done a fair bit of judging, for instance, at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards.

She told me that she had just taken the Academy of Cheese Level One course to improve her knowledge. It was the first time I had heard of the Academy of Cheese, and I was immediately interested.

Why did you decide to take the Level One course and start your cheese learning journey?

I had always felt a bit disconnected to the cheese industry, since my background was more related to farming than cheese making. So, I felt that doing the Level One course could help me improve my confidence and gain more respect among colleagues. Plus, I’ve always loved studying – I studied very hard for my GCSEs and A Levels, and did a degree in Biology at Oxford University.

After Level One, I wanted to keep studying and become even more closely connected with the cheese world, so I continued with Level Two. After that, Tracey Colley (one of the Founding Directors of the Academy of Cheese) told me I would be the sixteenth Fellow if I passed the Level Three exam. I am super competitive and became determined to be in that select group of the first Academy Fellows. It was a real incentive for me to crack on and work hard.

How have the Level Three modules specifically helped you in your day-to-day life?

As a cheesemaker, the Level Two and Three content has helped me gain a much deeper understanding of the technical aspects of production. For instance, I didn’t realise until I started learning with the Academy of Cheese that the reason you add Geotrichum yeast for mould-ripened cheeses is to allow the pH of the rind to get to the right level for the fluffy white Penicillin mould to grow. That was certainly a useful thing to learn.

The microbiology and cheese production modules also inspired me to experiment with my cheese making processes, and tweak recipes to see if we could get a different outcome – for instance, changing the size of the curds to see how this affected texture. I also used the Cheddar recipe from the course as a basis for a new cheese (named ‘Chaddar’ after my husband!) which we hope to launch soon, once we’ve got the flavour to the level we want.

The cheese production modules have given me a much deeper understanding of the technical aspects of cheese making, and have even inspired me to be more experimental with my own recipes.

Which modules did you enjoy the most?

Ceri during a fondue-making evening with friends. Photo credit: Sam Starr

How much of a step up was Level Three from Level Two?

Level Three is definitely a step up from Level Two, particularly for the Cheese Library module which jumps from 100 to 300 cheeses. Many of these are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to source in the UK. But this can be a brilliant opportunity to travel and taste them at source! For instance, during our recent holiday to Seville, I took my list of Level Three Spanish cheeses and had brilliant fun going around as many cheesemongers as possible to try and find them. But this shouldn’t put you off the course. Jen Grimstone-Jones from the Pangbourne Cheese Shop published a wonderful book ‘Master of Cheese Cheeses’ that describes every cheese on the Level Three syllabus. This was a godsend for me, and gave me the confidence to take the Level Three exam even when I hadn’t been able to taste all the cheeses myself.

How did you manage your studies along with your full-time employment?

Being my own boss certainly helps! But if you have what I call a ‘farmers mindset’, where you just get up and get on with things, anyone can do it. Here in the dairy, the main working hours are between 4:30 am to around 11 am in the morning, so I tended to do my studying around lunchtime. It would have been even easier if I hadn’t simultaneously taken up pottery when I started Level 3!

Do you feel that achieving Level Three has given you more credibility amongst your peers?

Absolutely. When I passed, Paul Thomas – one of the world experts in dairy technology and food safety – got in touch to personally congratulate me. I thought, ‘If someone of his prestige makes the effort to do that, then it really means something!’ Completing the courses has also given me much more confidence when judging cheeses.

I feel that becoming a Fellow with the Academy of Cheese has definitely helped me gain recognition among my colleagues in the cheese industry, and boosted my confidence when judging at cheese awards.

What is your favourite cheese fact that you learnt from the Level Three course?

I found the content on the history of cheese production really intriguing. In particular, I love the fact that the discovery of rennet can be dated from when cheese graters first appeared. After all, you need a cheese to be hard in order to grate it, and you need rennet to make a hard cheese!

Are you going to go on to become a Master of Cheese?

Definitely. My bucket list dream is to judge at the World Cheese Awards, and becoming a Master of Cheese would be a huge leap forward towards that. And of course, the idea of being one of the first Masters of Cheese sets off my competitiveness! The opportunity to do a 10,000 word dissertation also really appeals to me. I have several ideas already; for instance, perhaps I could combine it with my pottery obsession and recreate the original clay moulds used to make cheese? Or, since Brinkworth Dairy is one of the leading regenerative farms in the UK, perhaps my topic could be linked to sustainable agriculture.

Did you discover any new favourite cheeses during your Academy of Cheese studies?

The first eye-opener for me was Brillat Savarin, a very decadent French triple cream cheese on the Level 1 syllabus. It is so luxurious and silky, and it made me start seeking out other cheese of that type. My studies also opened my eyes to how wonderful sheep’s milk cheeses can be. During that trip to Seville, I came across Idiazabal, a raw sheep milk’s cheese from the Basque Country and Navarre regions of Spain. It had so much flavour, it made me seriously consider getting a flock of sheep myself to make cheese from! But then I tasted other sheep’s cheese and none were quite as good. So, I realised that there is more to the magic than just using sheep’s milk – it is an art form to make cheese as amazing as Idiazabal!

What’s your go-to cheese board combination now?

For a sheep’s cheese, it would have to be Idiazabal, paired with something sweet like quince paste. For the blue cheese, I would choose the Royal Basset Blue we make (as it’s so soft and oozy!), coupled with a little honey to cut through the tartness. Finally, a Brillat Savarin with some really ripe, fragrant peaches. I would add some Peter’s Yard crackers as a palate cleanser, some of our beautifully salty Brinkworth Butter, and a really good sourdough loaf from the local farmers market to make it into a proper meal. Another of my recommendations is to put one of our Avebury Cheeses – a soft white cheese with a very buttery texture – into a ceramic ramekin, then heat in an air fryer for ten minutes. It is absolutely dreamy scooped out with strips of bread. Perfect if you have friends over for an evening and want some protein to go with your drinks!

Would you recommend the Level Three course to others? If so, who and why?

The course is perfect if you are looking to feel more closely connected with the cheese world. But do get hold of Jen’s book, it is a life saver for the Cheese Library Module (although you can also download each cheese as a pdf rom the Academy website). It does involve a lot of studying, but don’t let that put you off – just see it as an opportunity to explore and eat lots of different cheeses. Involving your friends can make this very fun indeed!