Could you be the next Young Cheesemonger of the Year?

The British Cheese Awards is now inviting cheese professionals under 30 to enter its Young Cheesemonger competition – co-sponsored by Fine Food Digest and the Academy of Cheese.

This year’s competition will see entrants’ applications assessed by judges from the British Cheese Awards committee before eight finalists are selected to compete on Thursday 30th May 2019 at the Royal Bath & West Show.

The four-round final will test the cheesemongers’ palates, cutting and wrapping skills, cheeseboard judgement, and their cheese knowledge, including a Mastermind-style quiz, in front of judges before the winner is crowned.

Cheesemongers who are interested in taking part in the competition can download the entry form from this link:http://www.britishcheeseawards.com/young-cheesemonger-awards-2019

The entry form consists of a brief history about the entrants’ work in cheese and a response to the following question: ‘You have around £30 to shop for a cheeseboard for 6 people – which British cheeses would you buy?’ 

The closing date for submitting completed entry forms is Wednesday 1st May 2019.

The competition is part of the British Cheese Awards 2019, which will take place on Wednesday 30th May at the Royal Bath & West Show, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset. 

Michael Lane, editor of Fine Food Digest, said: “At Fine Food Digest, we firmly believe that being a cheesemonger is a career. This competition, and our fellow partner the Academy of Cheese, are vital components in the promotion of this idea. We are delighted to be supporting something that is encouraging and nurturing talented people, who are the future of fine food retailing in this country.”

Last year’s winner was Nicola Beardmore, a cheesemonger at Brown & Green in Trentham, Staffordshire. 

“Competing in such an amazing competition gave me fantastic insight into being part of the industry,” she said. “We need more young people to have an interest and support in becoming a cheesemonger.” 

Julius Longman, chairman of the British Cheese Awards, said: “It’s an important competition for the British cheese industry as it promotes the key role of cheesemongers whilst engaging with the younger generation on the wonderful world of cheese.”

Tracey Colley, director of the Academy of Cheese, said: “It’s fantastic the British Cheese Awards are recognising young people in our industry and encouraging them to champion their cheese skills and knowledge. We love inspiring and training new people all about this wonderful heritage food that is cheese and this competition helps to endorse cheesemongering as a career choice.” 

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