From Estate Agent to Cheesemonger of the Year: Jessica Summer’s Story
Jessica is the founder of Mouse & Grape, the award-winning cheese, wine and deli space in northwest London that has become a touchstone for a new kind of cheesemongering: multifaceted, community-rooted, and built on serious knowledge. But rewind five years, and she had never cut a piece of cheese in her life. Read her story here.
- Rachel
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When Jessica Summer’s name was called at the Farm Shop & Deli Show Awards earlier this year, it capped a journey that began not behind a cheese counter, but behind an estate agent’s desk – one that was upended almost overnight by a pandemic and a podcast.
The Sliding Doors Moment
Jessica’s background spans communications, PR, hospitality, and property – the family lettings business, then a move to Marsh & Parsons, a large London agency. She started that job on 9 March 2020. She lost it ten days later.
“It was just the best thing that could have happened,” she says now, with characteristic candour. “I would have stuck at it, because I wouldn’t have wanted to fail. It was a sliding doors moment.”
Back working alongside her mum in the family business, Jessica found herself listening to podcasts and wrestling with a nagging question: what did she actually want to do? The answer arrived via Holly Tucker’s Do What You Love, Love What You Do – and it pointed straight at cheese and wine.
“Cheese and wine fits me perfectly,” she says. “Not only do I love it, I genuinely enjoy eating, drinking, socialising. I find the creativity, the people, the passion, the variety, all of it exciting. And there are endless possibilities.”
Mouse & Grape began as a social media account in July 2020, then grew into online hampers. The gap Jessica had spotted was simple but significant: cheese and wine treated as equal partners, not an afterthought. Northwest London, she noted dryly, had no cheese shops at all. It still didn’t, until she opened one.
Learning Fast: The Academy of Cheese
The business had momentum before the knowledge caught up. Jessica’s first real reckoning with that came packing her Christmas hampers in 2021: forty orders, four cheeses each, 150g portions.
“I hadn’t cut cheese or wrapped cheese until I was packing those hampers,” she admits. “That was a quick lesson in: “you need more experience.“”
The day after, she looked up the Academy of Cheese.
She completed Level 1 in January 2022, then Level 2 shortly after; while simultaneously working part-time at La Fromagerie in Marylebone to build hands-on counter experience. The certifications, she says, transformed not just what she knew but what she could do with that knowledge.
“The Structured Approach to Tasting is brilliant, because as you’re learning, you can then explain it to someone else. When I started doing tasting events, I was able to teach because the Academy had taught me.”
She draws a direct line between those Certifications and her ability to run events confidently, to talk about cheese in ways that land with customers who’ve never been beyond a supermarket counter. “Once you’ve got the foundations, when you discover a new cheese or visit somewhere on holiday, you’re then focusing on the story of the cheesemaker, the origins, the quirky facts – because you already have the understanding. It’s that base layer of knowledge that lets the rest build on top.”
Her advice to anyone on the fence? Don’t be. “Level 1 is the perfect foundation course. It should be a non-negotiable for anyone in the cheese business; factored in like your food safety certificate. The knowledge is all there for you, set out in a way that’s easy to understand. When you don’t have the knowledge, borrow it from others.”
Level 1 is the perfect foundation course. It should be a non-negotiable for anyone in the cheese business; factored in like your food safety certificate.
That belief in the value of certification doesn’t stop with Jessica. She’s now a Member of the Academy of Cheese, and is clear-eyed about why investing in staff training matters – both for the business and for the individuals within it. Sinead, her manager and right-hand woman, has already completed her Academy Level 1. Sophia is enrolled and working towards hers, with Level 2 to follow, ahead of a potential Young Cheesemonger of the Year entry.
“I love being able to pass down the skills,” Jessica says. “There’s something really nice in giving people the opportunities and letting them shine – showing them what’s possible. If you don’t give people the space to grow, you won’t get the most out of them. When I was at La Fromagerie, I was so keen to learn that I went to everything: all the trips, stayed late, did all the work. I was super engaged. A trained, knowledgeable team isn’t a cost, it’s what makes the whole thing work.”
The ripple effect is already visible. Sinead was recently nominated for Harper’s 30 Under 30 – the same award Jessica won three years ago. “That’s what giving people opportunities does,” she says simply.
A trained, knowledgeable team isn’t a cost, it’s what makes the whole thing work.
Young Cheesemonger of the Year: Just Enter
The Young Cheesemonger of the Year competition, organised by the Academy of Cheese, is where Jessica first put herself forward for industry recognition, in 2022. She’d been working in cheese for about eight months when a colleague at La Fromagerie mentioned he was entering. Jessica glanced at the age criteria (30 or under) and realised at the age of 29, she was either going to do it now, or I wouldn’t be able to. “So obviously I did it!”.
She made the finals. The experience was nerve-wracking; she laughs about getting “absolutely murdered” on the general knowledge questions – but it was also formative in ways she couldn’t have predicted at the time.
“Being a finalist was really affirming. I didn’t have the experience that maybe others did, and it was a real confidence tick for me. And being there meant I got to go to the World Cheese Awards – I met so many people, tasted amazing cheeses. It was out of my comfort zone, but it put me in good stead.”
The lesson she’d pass on is one that applies as much to the World Cheese Awards as to any industry competition: showing up matters more than winning. “Being a finalist is no different to winning in terms of what it puts in your bio and what it gives you. It’s an opportunity that’s there to be taken. It’s not as scary as people think – and it makes the industry feel more professional. You are a professional. It’s almost your duty, as a cheesemonger, to be part of it.”
Applications for Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026 open soon. More information below.
Cheesemonger of the Year: A Team Win
The Farm Shop & Deli Retailers Award came about because Jessica felt Mouse & Grape had been getting recognition in the drinks world – the IWSC Emerging Talent award, press trips, media – but she wanted to establish the business as equally serious about cheese.
She told her team as much. And then they went and wrote the application without her!
“The beauty of this award is that I didn’t write the application. Sinead and Sophia did. And I think what we realised through doing it is that everything we do is extremely well thought out.”
What impressed the judges, she believes, was the sum of deliberate decisions that make Mouse & Grape what it is. At its heart, she describes it as “a hybrid space”: part deli, part wine and cheese bar, part events venue, part online hamper business – all under one roof, all working together.
You’re utilising every opportunity to create different sales channels. That’s what the Farm Shop & Deli Show were really impressed by.
But the hybrid model is only half of it. Equally important is how deeply Mouse & Grape is rooted in its specific local community. Northwest London has a large Indian-Asian population, and Jessica made a conscious decision to reflect that – ensuring a strong selection of vegetarian cheeses that many cheesemongers elsewhere wouldn’t think to prioritise. It’s a small detail that speaks to something larger: recognising the gaps in your local market and filling them with something genuinely relevant.
“Most of our customers were like me – not really exposed to different cheeses,” she says. “We’re bringing it to a new audience. And there are just a lot of people here who want to learn and want to taste.”
Underpinning all of it is the team. The Bring Your Own Baby event running upstairs the morning we spoke. The run club that went slightly viral. The book club that sells out faster than the cheese tastings. None of that happens without people who understand what they’re selling and why it matters.
“It’s the innovation,” Jessica says. “But it’s also the team: trained, knowledgeable, passionate. That’s what gives really good service. And all those little things build up and make a difference.”
Jessica’s tips for next year’s applicants
Jessica’s advice is to be transparent and specific. Don’t just describe what your business is – show what it does, in numbers. How many tasting events have you run this year? How many new products have you trialled? What community initiative did you launch and what did it generate? “What we realised through doing the application is that everything we do is extremely well thought out – but you have to actually say it. List the tangibles. The judges can’t see inside your shop.”
The win, she says, brought something that’s easy to undervalue when you’re deep in the work: external validation. “When you’re working really hard, it’s sometimes nice to have that recognition from outside.”
What’s Next — and Why You Should Apply
Mouse & Grape is now in what Jessica describes as a stabilising phase: building on the first year, hiring, delegating, freeing herself up to think about what comes next. A second shop, eventually. Perhaps a book. Certainly more awards judging. And growing her personal platform as a cheese and wine voice, alongside the business.
The circular story that runs through all of it – Academy certification to industry competition to business award and back again – isn’t lost on her.
“The work you put in now pays off in five years’ time. I did my Academy Level 1 when I’d only just started selling hampers. I had no idea where the business would go. But that gave me the possibilities.”
Next year, for the first time, Academy of Cheese education will form part of the prize package for the Farm Shop & Deli Show Retailer Awards – Cheesemonger category – a recognition that formal cheese knowledge and industry recognition belong together. Jessica, who has lived that connection, would agree entirely.
Ready to start your own cheese journey?
Has Jessica’s story inspired you to take the next step in your cheese career? Whether you’re just starting out, looking to showcase your skills, or seeking recognition for your achievements, here are three excellent opportunities to invest in your professional development.
Academy of Cheese Level One: Associate Certification
If you, like Jessica, want to talk more confidently about cheese, then Level One is for you!
The course will introduce you to the Academy’s own Structured Approach to Tasting and you will discover a range of tools to help you communicate more effectively about cheese. You’ll learn how cheese is made, how to assess quality, understand the provenance and range of cheese available. You will study and taste 25 iconic cheeses before you’re ready to sit your online exam and gain your first Academy of Cheese certification.
Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026
If you work in cheese retail and are aged 30 or under, then we would love to hear from you. This year’s finals will take place at the World Cheese Awards in Cordoba, Spain, on 12th November. We will be calling for applications from mid-July to mid-September.
Cheesemonger of the Year at the Farm Shop & Deli Show 2027
For established cheesemongers and retailers, the Cheesemonger of the Year Award is an opportunity to gain recognition for excellence within the industry.
As previous finalists often point out, reaching the final can be just as valuable as winning. The exposure, credibility, and professional connections that come with the competition can have a lasting impact on both your career and your business. Whether you’re considering entering yourself or nominating a deserving colleague, this award celebrates the very best in cheese retail.
“You don’t have to win. Being a finalist in Cheesemonger of the Year is no different to winning, in terms of what it puts in your bio — and what it gives you.” — Jessica Summer
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