The Cheese Lady | Affineur of the Year 2023 | Competitor

Who are we?

The Cheese Lady is a specialist cheese shop, offering a curated selection of the finest farmhouse and artisan cheeses from the British Isles and the Continent. The business is driven by passion and expertise of its founder Svetlana, who is a professional cheesemonger, refiner and educator with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Author of a recent Amazon best-seller ‘Cheese Connoisseur’s Handbook’, she is on a mission to champion fine cheese and inspire wholesome and joyful living!

Svetlana opening her Quicke’s Cheddar

Which cheeses have you chosen to mature?

Quicke’s Cheddar

Why did you enter the competition?

We are excited to be a part of this competition because we’d love to hone our affinage knowledge and skills and shine a light on the importance of affinage in fine cheese development. 

What is your relationship with affinage to date?

Svetlana has completed an affinage internship at Murray’s Cheese shop in New York City and trained with Herve Mons in his cheese maturation caves in Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel in France.  

How are you approaching the maturation and why have you chosen this approach?

We are planning to use a classic approach to maturation, predominantly using temperature and humidity to guide the cheese through the ageing process, as well as regular turning.  However, we are also likely to including salt, oil, and other types of rubs in the process. We are choosing this approach hoping to enhance the flavour of the cheese rather than change it. 

What are your expectations for the matured cheeses?

Our expectation is that the cheese will develop a nice typical cheddar texture and flavour with complex nutty and lingering notes. We are also hoping to see protein crystals in the texture.  

Further information:

https://www.thecheeselady.co.uk/