Affineur of the Year 2025
Sam Brice interviews Tracey Colley, founding director of the Academy of Cheese.
Tracey Colley with former AOTY champion, Perry Wakeman
Affineur of the Year is set to return on Tuesday 3 June, with the Academy of Cheese once again inviting cheese lovers and cheese pros to come together in a joyous celebration of cheese aging craft.
Taking place at St Mary’s Marylebone, in the heart of London, the competition will see cheesemakers and cheesemongers presenting their entries for assessment by the judges, having been quietly maturing each cheese for many months – often employing innovative, even ground-breaking techniques. Best of all, everyone in the room gets to try every single entry… it’s a cheese dream come true.
A few years in, Affineur of the Year is stirring up a creative revolution in the UK cheese scene. Makers and mongers haven been given a platform to push boundaries, and a burst of innovation has followed.
We caught up with Tracey Colley to find out more.
WHAT IS AFFINEUR OF THE YEAR?
Affineur of the Year is a unique opportunity for cheesemongers and cheesemakers to showcase the skill and craftsmanship of affinage - the delicate, centuries-old process of maturing cheese to enhance its flavour and texture. Affinage involves precise control of temperature, humidity, and aging conditions, making it a vital step in the production of exceptional cheeses. Now in our fourth year, we’ve expanded the number of categories to allow even more techniques to be showcased.
WHY WAS THE COMPETITION CREATED?
The competition was first launched in 2022 to recognise the craft of affinage and acknowledge the skill required in caring for a cheese, between the point of it being made and the point of sale to consumers.
WHO GETS INVOLVED?
This competition is unique, as it’s the only one that allows cheesemakers and cheesemongers to compete on the same stage. Affinage can be (and is often) carried out by both the maker and the cheesemonger. This year we have entries from Brindisa, Burt’s Cheese, Chester Cheese Shop, Cheese Etc, Chiswick Cheese Market, George & Joseph, Godfrey Williams, Neal’s Yard Dairy, No2 Pound Street, Paxton & Whitfield, Rennet & Rind, The Courtyard Dairy, The Crafty Cheese Man, The Fine Cheese Co., Trethowan Brothers, White Lake Cheese and Yorkshire Pecorino.
WHAT IMPACT HAS THE COMPETITION HAD ON THE INDUSTRY?
Affineur of the Year has propelled affinage into the spotlight, creating exciting opportunities to push boundaries in cheese maturation. With interest growing in the UK, we are seeing more wanting to upskill and experiment, something the Academy is delighted to be able to facilitate with our Level Three module in Affinage. The competition has been transformative for the UK’s cheese scene. By embracing the techniques of affinage, we are seeing cheesemakers and cheesemongers creating entirely new products that have earned attention from cheese lovers and retailers alike.
TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE ENTRIES AND WINNERS
The first competition featured 10 entrants, all aging 12-month old cheddars, so it was a surprise and delight to see the rich and fiery explosion of colour that was Brindisa's paprika-rubbed truckle. Perry James Wakeman of Rennet & Rind won that year with "Priscilla", and then went onto win again in 2023. The last two years, with the increase in varieties, we’ve seen many innovative treatments, including "For Peat's Sake" - The Fine Cheese Co's Solstice, which was washed in Laphroaig 10-Year Old Whisky, and went onto win the People's Choice award. Perhaps the most inventive was that from The Courtyard Dairy last year, who put an inverted bottle of Ice Cider into their Blue Stilton. The winner last year, Owen Davies of Ty Caws in Cardiff, whilst subtle in technique, impressed judges with his innovative coal-cave aging: an approach that paid off by delivering a cheddar that reflected flavours of his home terroir.
AOTY 2024 champion, Owen Davies from Ty Caws with Patrick Spinazza (L) and Mary Quicke (R)
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THIS YEAR'S EVENT?
This year, competitors will be ageing Quicke's Cheddar, Cropwell Bishop's Blue Shropshire, Fen Farm's Baron Bigod, and White Lake's Solstice, as well as our first crumbly variety - Trethowan Brothers' Gorwydd Caerphilly. The competition is getting bigger and better every year. We're delighted to see new competitors entering for the first time, and thrilled to be welcoming the Federation des Fromagers de France, who will be bringing a delegation of cheesemongers to learn more about the competition and Affinage in the UK.
HOW CAN WE GET TICKETS?