Taking place on Tuesday 16 June at Christ Church Spitalfields in London, the event will showcase over 50 entries, all pushing the boundaries of cheese innovation in the UK.
Ticketholders are invited, and encouraged, to sample every single cheese before placing their votes in the People’s Choice Award.
Now in its fifth year, Affineur of the Year brings together cheesemakers, cheesemongers and cheese fans to celebrate the growing affinage movement in the UK, as the craft of meticulous maturation continues to influence Britain’s artisan cheese scene.
Combining both art and science in equal measure, many entrants take their starting cheeses to weird and wonderful new places.
Recent creations have been coated in leaves, aged in coal, and washed in liqueur, with some entries going onto enjoy successful product launches in their own right.
Entrants are invited to age up to five different cheeses, with trophies up for grabs in each category, and top honours going to the overall Champion.
Category options include an 8kg Clothbound Cheddar from Quicke’s (Hard), a 4kg Gorwydd Caerphilly from Trethowan Brothers (Crumbly), an 8kg Blue Stilton from Cropwell Bishop (Blue), and a 250g Baron Bigod from Fen Farm Dairy (Soft). This year’s line-up will also feature a goat’s cheese for the first time; a 2kg Rachel from White Lake Cheese (Washed Rind).
Having attracted great interest from cheese communities around the world since its inception, Affineur of the Year is now supported by some of the leading figures in global affinage.
As a result, this year’s Champion will receive an exclusive, fully sponsored week‑long professional development experience with the renowned Caves Team at Murray’s state‑of‑the‑art cheese aging facility in New York City.
Also new for 2026, the Mons Formation Rising Star Award will be presented to the competitor who demonstrates outstanding potential and understanding in the art of cheese affinage.
The recipient will be invited to attend a 5-day affinage course at the Mons Fromager Affineur Caves in the Loire region of France, joining cheese expert Emma Young and legendary affineur, Laurent Mons.
This year’s judging panel will welcome new experts from all over the world, including Josh Windsor from Murray's Cheese in New York and Benjamin Vogel of Gourmino in Switzerland.
They will judge alongside the likes of Laurent Mons from the Mons Formation, cheese writer and educator Patrick McGuigan, and 3-time Affineur of the Year winner, Perry-James Wakeman from Rennet & Rind.
Affineur of the Year 2026 will see entries coming in from across the UK, with competitors including The Courtyard Dairy in Yorkshire, Mike’s Fancy Cheese in Northern Ireland, Harvey & Brockless in Worcestershire, Fine Cheese Co. in Bath, and Neal’s Yard Dairy, Brindisa, Chiswick Cheese Market London's Paxton & Whitfield.
Affineur of the Year 2026 will take place between 1.00pm – 7.00pm on Tuesday 16 June at Christ Church Spitalfields in London. Tickets are available to purchase now from academyofcheese.org, priced at £60 +VAT.