We recently held an intensive ‘Train the Trainer’ session in London. This activity was driven by an overwhelming interest from overseas parties, who are keen to adopt the Academy’s programme in their own countries. The day proved to be a real meeting of minds and provided an opportunity for our established UK Training Partners to share their experiences with other potential providers. Delegates attended from places as far as Norway and China.
The success of this session is testament to the enthusiasm for implementing a recognised industry standard for cheese training in the UK and beyond. We shall continue to work with overseas parties to develop the Academy’s global reach over the coming years.
Level Two Makes an Impact
We’re delighted to announce that the first 28 delegates have now completed our eagerly anticipated Level Two. After three years in development, it has been a huge boost to receive such positive feedback from those seeking to become Members of the Academy.
From the initial delegation, three were from Hong Kong, Brazil and Paris – highlighting once again that we continue to provide an in-demand service for those seeking official certification whether to support their professional career or personal interest in cheese.
World Cheese Awards
Taking place in Bergamo, Italy on 18th October, the Academy will join international cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators to discover this year’s Supreme Champion.
Come and meet the team, see a demo of our online Learning Roads & Cheese Library at the Academy’s Information Point in the B2Cheese fair, an international cheese expo for industry professionals
WIDENING OUR REACH
New Training Partners
The Academy’s success is dependent on the delivery of the programme to as many people as possible. To facilitate this process, we have recruited two additional Training Partners.
A hugely respected cheese institution, La Fromagerie has three award winning shops in Marylebone, Bloomsbury and Highbury. We’re thrilled that they are coming on board to offer Level One certification. Courses will be taught by Max Melvin, senior cheesemonger and educator. Max has written and presented many cheese workshops that take a unique multidisciplinary approach to this fascinating subject.
Home on the Farm
For a fully immersive experience, Quicke’s will be opening the gates of Home Farm in their idyllic corner of Devon to deliver Academy Level One. As an instrumental founder of the organisation, Mary Quicke MBE is a leading light in the cheese world making cheddar by hand in the old-fashioned way for many years. Courses are delivered by cheese expert Sam Wilkin of Cellarman and the day includes a tour of the Quicke’s cheese dairy to see cheddar cheesemaking in action.
The Written Word
To help promote the invaluable work of the Academy, we regular produce cheese-focused columns within consumer and trade media to help spread the word to an ever-wider audience. These include editorial monthly contributions to BBC Good Food, Countryside magazine and Fine Food Digest.
We’re enormously grateful for all these opportunities and particularly to the Guild of Fine Food for their ongoing patronage. This month’s coverage also includes a full-page advert within the annual Good Cheese supplement which is published to coincide with the World Cheese Awards.
RECORDING OUR CHEESE HERITAGE
British Heritage Cheese
The Academy continues to champion our comprehensive Heritage Project.The purpose is to bring together fact, legend, myth and context about what makes each of the eight classic British cheeses distinctive. Our findings are due to be published in April 2020 and will cover the following heritage cheeses:
• Cheshire
• Lancashire
• Cheddar
• Wensleydale
• Single & Double Gloucester
• Dunlop
• Stilton
• Caerphilly
We would love to hear from anyone who might be able to contribute their time and expertise to the project. Please contact Charlie.turnbull@academyofcheese.org for further details of how you can be involved.
