Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2022 competition open for entries

The Academy of Cheese is calling for cheesemongers around the world to enter this year's competition to find the Young Cheesemonger of the Year.

The competition established to promote cheese knowledge and provide career development within the industry, will be hosted at the World Cheese Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food in Newport, Wales on Wednesday 2nd November 2022.

Free to enter, the competition is open to any cheesemonger under the age of 30, with applicants being asked, initially, to provide a short biography and submit recommendations for their perfect cheeseboard. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to attend the World Cheese Awards and compete against their peers across four rounds.

The rounds will comprise delivery of the rationale behind their initial cheeseboard selection; a demonstration of their "cut and wrap" skills; a cheese identification round, and the final "MasterRind" quiz, about cheeses from around the world.

Tracey Colley, director of the Academy of Cheese, explained "The Academy of Cheese are thrilled to support the search once again for Young Cheesemonger of the Year. It's an award that is completely aligned to the Academy's ethos of championing skills and knowledge within the industry. I hope that in years to come, many more young cheesemongers will develop their passion for the sector through our accreditation programme. Previous contestants have gone onto great jobs in the cheese industry, including senior buyer, head cheesemaker and cheese grader".

International contestants are welcome, and all entries are to be submitted by Friday 9th September.

Full details of the competition and the application form can be found here