Affineur of the Year

Affineur of the Year™ is a unique opportunity for cheesemongers and cheesemakers to showcase, across the world, the skill and artistry involved in ageing a cheese to its full potential and pushing the boundaries of cheese innovation.

What is Affineur of the Year?

The competition, launched in 2022 by the Academy of Cheese and Quicke’s, started with ten affineurs taking a young Quicke’s Clothbound Cheddar and maturing it over the course of 12 months.

Now in its sixth year, the journey to Affineur of the Year 2027 is already underway, with the first Cheddars dispatched to this year’s contenders. The remaining competition cheeses will be revealed very soon; as well as a Hard cheese category (Quicke’s Cheddar), these will include different Make Post-Make varieties of cheese, to allow more competitors the opportunity to highlight and showcase a full range of affinage techniques, specific to those categories.

Next year, the Finals event will be held again at the stunning Christ Church Spitalfields, where competitors, judges and industry spokespeople will come together to reveal, assess and taste the cheeses. Winners for each category will be chosen and the overall Champion will be crowned Affineur of the Year 2027.

Guests are also invited to vote or their winner of the People’s Choice Award.

What It Takes to Become “Affineur of the Year”

This year, as well as a Hard cheese category (Quicke’s Cheddar), entrants are being sought to age a Crumbly (Trethowan Brothers' Gorwydd Caerphilly), a Blue (Cropwell Bishop Stilton), a Soft (Baron Bigod) and a Washed Rind (Whitelake Cheese Rachel).

Competitors choose their cheese(s)

Competitors have a choice of five base cheeses to age.

Submission of Statements of Intent

Competitors must submit a “Statement of Intent” to the organisers, outlining their affinage objectives and the techniques they plan to use.

Competitors care for the cheese(s)

Competitors then care for the cheese (s) at their facility for different times depending on the cheese category. During maturation, cheeses are graded and affinage methods and parameters are documented for submission at the final event.

Competitors present (cut open) their competition cheeses

Competitors present their cheese and documentation at the Affineur of The Year finals.

Judging

Cheeses will be judged by a select committee of industry experts at the finals event.

People's Choice

Guests to the event are invited to taste all the cheeses and vote for their favourite.

Winners announced

Winners for each category are announced and an overall champion will be crowned ‘Affineur of the Year 2027’.

Which Cheeses are involved?

Entrants are invited to age a selection of Hard, Blue, Soft, Washed Rind, and Crumbly cheeses, showcasing the diversity of cheesemaking and the art of maturation.

8kg Quickes Clothbound Cheddar

Pasteurised Cow's - Animal Rennet

4kg Trethowan Brothers' Gorwydd Caerphilly

Pasteurised Cow's - Animal Rennet

8kg Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton

Pasteurised Cow's - Animal Rennet

250g Fen Farm Dairy Baron Bigod

Pasteurised Cow's - Animal Rennet

2kg White Lake Cheese Rachel

Thermised Goat's - Vegetarian Rennet

Meet the competitors

Lynher Dairies

Award-winning Cornish cheesemakers behind Yarg, Kern and Stithians, making artisan cheeses by hand with milk from their own Ayrshire herd.

White Lake Cheese

Award-winning Somerset cheesemaker producing innovative artisan goat, sheep and cow’s milk cheeses from their own herd as well as locally-sourced milk.

The Crafty Cheeseman

Cheese-obsessed team with loads of character, wholesaling exceptional British cheese.

Trethowan Brothers

Award-winning cheeses made in North Somerset

Cheese Etc.

Award-winning traditional cheese shop, less than an hour from London, offering Academy of Cheese Level One and Two Certification courses

Harvey & Brockless

Producer and distributor of speciality foods, working with artisan food producers across the globe.

The Fine Cheese Co.

Academy of Cheese Training Partner, The Fine Cheese Co. is a maturer, wholesaler, retailer and exporter of artisan British cheeses, based in Bath.

No2 Pound Street

Owned by Academy Training Partner James Grant AKA The Bucks Cheese Guy, award-winning cheesemonger, affineur & founder of The Real Cheese Project.

Paxton & Whitfield

Patron and Training Partner, Paxton & Whitfield, established in 1797, proudly holds a Royal Warrant of Appointment to HRH King Charles III.

Meet the Judges

2027 Judges to be confirmed.

Judging criteria for Affineur of the Year

The judging process is built around two key elements: the sensory assessment of the final cheese and the affineur’s documentation of their decision-making. By evaluating both the outcomes and the process, we honour the affineur’s ability not just to mature cheese well, but to do so with purpose, consistency, and understanding.

Let’s take a closer look at how entries will be judged.

Sensory characteristics

The most important element of the judging, with the highest points rating, including:
Flavours out of /10 - Including length and differential nose to rind
Aroma out of /5
Body/texture, out of /5
Appearance/rind out of /5

Grading sheets / records

Detailed grading sheets / records are crucial to understanding how the result has been achieved.
Entrants will receive a score between 0 to 5 for their grading sheets and records.

Thanks to our sponsors

The Academy of Cheese is grateful to our valued sponsors of the Affineur of the Year category awards. We are still finalising our Sponsors, please check back for updates.

Curd & Cure

Independently owned, speciality cheese & fine food wholesaler in the South East of England, with a passion for British cheese & local products.

Chiswick Cheese Market

The UK's only specialist cheese market: a unique destination for cheese lovers, celebrating the finest artisan cheeses from across the UK and beyond.

Harvey & Brockless

Producer and distributor of speciality foods, working with artisan food producers across the globe.

La Fromagerie

Academy of Cheese Training Partner, La Fromagerie has 3 award-winning shops in London and a successful wholesale business supplying fine dining restaurants.

Mons Formation

Transforming passion into expertise in dairy refinement, retail and product mastery.

Flint Wines

One of England's leading fine wine merchants, specialising in terroir-driven wines from Burgundy, Italy, the US and South Africa

Affineur of the Year 2026 Winners

Thanks and congratulations to all involved in what's been another great year.

Affineur of the Year 2026

The Courtyard Dairy

With their Quicke’s Cheddar

The Courtyard Dairy has been crowned Affineur of the Year 2026, taking top honour at the 5th edition in London. Simon Ferro and James Spence won with an aged Quicke’s Cheddar that spent 10 months maturing, developing a distinctive mix of classic Cheddar flavours alongside richer meaty, herbaceous and umami notes, more typical of a Continental-style cheese. Pictured with Simon and James is Josh Windsor of Murray’s Cheese, New York, which donated the top prize – an exclusive, all-expenses-paid week of professional development with its renowned Caves Team in New York City.

Rising Star

Claire Burt from Burt's Cheese

For her Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton

The new Rising Star award, sponsored by Mons Formation, was presented to Claire Burt, Founder of Burt's Cheese in Cheshire. Claire impressed the panel with the smoking of her Stilton entry over apple and maple wood, and will now be invited to attend a 5-day affinage course with Laurent Mons and cheese consultant and author, Emma Young, at the Mons Fromager Affineur Caves in the Loire region of France.

Hard (Quicke's Cheddar)

The Courtyard Dairy

Blue (Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton

The Courtyard Dairy

Crumbly (Trethowan Brothers' Gorwydd Caerphilly)

No 2 Pound Street

Soft (Fen Farm Dairy's Baron Bigod)

The Courtyard Dairy

Washed Rind (White Lake Cheese's Rachel)

No 2 Pound Street

People’s Choice

South West Cheese

With their Quicke’s Cheddar

What happens, when?

The journey to Affineur of the Year 2027 is already underway, with the first Cheddars dispatched to this year’s contenders. While some key dates are still being confirmed, the Grand Judging and Finals Day is locked in for June 2027, with tickets now available to purchase. Stay tuned for the full timeline, including the dispatch dates for the remaining cheeses, and follow the contenders as they work their affinage magic.

4 August, 2026

Quicke’s Cheddar Delivery

Marking the start of the 2027 edition, a whole 8kg truckle of clothbound Cheddar from Devon is sent to each participant to start their affinage journey.