My Academy of Cheese Level Two Experience

Levelling up – one student’s take on the Academy’s Level Two course

By Dr Caroline Wood

June 30th: Right now, there is nowhere else I would rather be. Outside, the temperature is pushing 33°C, but here inside Sparkenhoe Farm’s cheese shop we are all keeping as cool as a cucumber. What’s more, I am learning – in the most wonderful way possible – about something I have long yearned to master: how to pair different cheeses with food and drinks.

Learning with the experts

Welcome to the Academy of Cheese Level Two course. Since yesterday morning, I have feasted on a steady stream of fascinating cheese knowledge. I had been told that, both in the scope and amount of detail, the Level 2 Course is a real step up from Level 1 – and they weren’t wrong. But under the tutelage of cheese writer and expert Patrick McGuigan, learning is no chore – even the most technical subjects are brought to life by his anecdotes and humour. And – naturally- there is plenty of cheese tasting along the way to put the content into practice straight away.

Professionally, being able to develop my knowledge and make myself more of a subject matter expert means I am able to improve the customer experience and give people more of a reason to visit us and get them excited about cheese.

Rob Collier, Cheesemonger, South West Cheese Shop

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Cheese: A Common Language

At this moment, Patrick is passing around cheese boards and encouraging us to form small groups and explore pairings with an array of drinks, chutneys, and preserves. Laughter and animated chatter fill the room as we get stuck in, enthusiastically discussing what does and doesn’t work together- and why. Despite only meeting yesterday, we already feel like a group of friends. Our group covers a very wide range of different roles– a microbiologist, a food safety lead, a cheesemonger, retailers, a cheese maker – but the conversation flows when we all speak our common language, cheese. We all agree that Fourme d’Ambert and mango chutney are a knockout combination.

“You can’t go wrong pairing something sweet with a strong blue,” Patrick says. I write it down in my notebook, which is already bulging with scribbles. But I’m not likely to forget, with this happy moment in time etched in my memory. It’s just one example of how learning through doing hugely enhances the online and written content of the course.

The home of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Cheese

Our venue, Sparkenhoe Farm in Warwickshire, couldn’t be more perfect for this. Over the past two days, we have had countless opportunities to see the syllabus in real life. A working farm run by the Clarke family, not only does Sparkenhoe produce a diverse range of artisan cheeses (including currently the only raw milk Red Leicester in the world), it is dedicated to regenerative, environmentally-friendly practices.

On day one, we are given the farm tour and meet the cows, learn about lactation cycles and feeding regimes, and see the milking parlour. Farm manager David Clarke explains how rigorous checks and standards throughout the milking process enable them to use raw milk safely in their cheese.

Back in our ‘classroom’, the farm’s tea room, we get stuck into the course content. Like Level One, this covers the entire cheese journey from milking and making cheese, to cutting and pairing. But now the detail is on another scale, right down to the impact of individual microorganisms, differences between milking breeds, and the method used for acidification. It makes us feel like serious students, although Patrick has some inventive approaches to keep things lively, from a ‘guess the cheese fault’ quiz to a home-made livestock breeds edition of Top Trumps! After all that learning, we are gratefully revived by Jo Clarke’s amazing cheese toasties – featuring Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, of course!

The Chemistry of Curds

What really stands out to me over the two days is just how sensitive cheese making can be to even the minutest variations. In the dairy, we watch the team check the pH level every 15 minutes to determine the precise moment when the curd should be drained.

“Cheeses that acidify quickly or drain slowly, tend to have higher acidity levels,” Patrick explains. “Acidity dissolves calcium in the curd, which has an important effect on texture. Calcium acts a bit like the mortar between the caseins, so the more that is lost, the more crumbly the texture of the final cheese. On the other hand, cheeses with lower acidity and higher calcium content tend to have a more supple, elastic texture.” It takes me back to my A Level Chemistry days, although this is a much more fun way of learning about reactions.

To be able to see how the cheese is actually made and pick the cheesemaker’s brains was so interesting and provided so much more information than I would have gained from doing the course online. What surprised me was the complexity and challenges cheesemakers face to produce their product. I didn’t fully appreciate the amount of variables that can have such an impact on the finished product.

Rob Collier, Cheesemonger, South West Cheese Shop

Aged to Perfection

Later, when we visit the maturation rooms for Sparkenhoe Blue (so deliciously cool that I don’t want to leave!), we learn about Will Clarke’s ongoing journey to perfect a raw milk blue cheese. Across the shelves, we follow the journey from young to mature cheese, admiring the rinds blooming with colourful microbes, each one a work of art hosting an ecosystem. It gives me an even deeper love and respect for the graft and care that goes into producing a fine cheese.

100 Cheeses

When I was considering whether to do the Level Two course, one of the most daunting things about the prospect was the requirement to recognise and describe the 100 cheeses on the syllabus. But during these two days alone, we have galloped through over a quarter, covering cheese from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Norway. Tasting cheese becomes much more enjoyable when done as a group, as we discuss together the simple and complex tastes we can identify, and compare our preferences. It becomes clear early on that you can divide us between two camps – those who like a strong blue and those who keep well away! As for me, my favourite has to be St Marcellin, a small, creamy cow’s milk cheese from the Rhône-Alpes region of France – made gorgeously oozy by the current heatwave!

I decided to do the Level Two course in person because I knew Sparkenhoe Farm would be a great venue, and because Patrick is such a well-known person in the cheese industry. It really worked for me, because it enabled me to interact with and be inspired by other like-minded people. I would highly recommend it.

Jennifer Kearns, Cheesemonger

Champagne: the perfect pairing

The hours fly by, and suddenly here we are at the pairing session, the last on our timetable. I don’t want the course to end, but as Patrick cracks open a bottle of Champagne, the atmosphere becomes celebratory. “If you can only have one wine with cheese, make it Champagne,” he says. “It’s more flexible than a red wine because it contains fewer tannins and the bubbles help to lift particularly rich cheeses.” I’ll drink to that!

I really enjoyed Level One and continued self-study but there came a point where I needed more structure to keep up my momentum. The Level Two course provides that. I found it particularly helpful assessing cheeses together so that we could compare and contrast differing views.

Annie Scotney, retired Microbiologist & enthusiastic cheese lover

My Conclusion

In normal, busy life, I really struggle to carve out any time for studying a personal interest, so being able to literally get away from it all and dedicate two days entirely to learning about cheese has been the ultimate treat. Besides a wealth of new encyclopaedic knowledge, I have an even deeper appreciation of the craft behind artisan cheese, wonderful memories, and some great new friends. Plus, some cracking new pairings to introduce to my cheese club!

I know it is just the start – I still have the online content to work through, then the final exam – but I feel so buoyed with motivation that I am determined to see it through to the finish line. And then perhaps, Level 3? Wish me luck!

The Level 2 training course was both insightful and valuable in enhancing my role – definitely more detailed than Level 1! The information was clear and informative, with a great balance between technical knowledge and the background of the cheese industry. As a Technical Manager, learning about the unique qualities and histories of different cheeses has given me a broader knowledge base to better assess and work with these products. The visit to the farm was also incredibly helpful in understanding both the production processes and the maturing stages of cheese, from a practical perspective, as well as the farming aspects behind the scenes.

Emanuela Bellantuono, Technical Manager, The Fine Cheese Co.

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