The School Of Cool. How To Win Friends And Influence People With The Academy Of Cheese

Knowledge is power. And cheese is irresistible. So what do you get if you combine power with irresistibility? Well, you could always ask Ben or Alex, two of our resident curd nerds. For they are deeply knowledgeable in the ways of cheese, and as a result, neither of them has ever been found wanting when it comes to mates, dates or lifting heavy weights. Women want to be with them, men want to be them.

But how did these Geek Gods acquire such wisdom and unbridled sex appeal? Perhaps the lofty heights reached by Ben and Alex are beyond the ken of mortal men and women. Or perhaps they’re not…for at the time of writing, both these boffin-like beefcakes are undertaking a course to receive Level Two accreditation from the illustrious Academy of Cheese. The UK’s foremost educational authority on cheese, the Academy of Cheese is the Eton of Stilton, the Cambridge of Comté, and the Balliol of Brie, all rolled into one.

As stated on their website, the Academy has been set up to: “Promote cheese knowledge and provide career development, both within the industry and amongst the wider public.” That’s right, dear reader, ‘amongst the wider public’. When Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gifted it to humanity, he had a vengeful Zeus to contend with. In this case, the arcane secrets of cheese are available to all, as it is part of the Academy’s mission to bring them to the masses.

So how and when will these secrets be made available? And what knowledge can be learned? If you want to know more, the Academy’s website it a good place to start https://academyofcheese.org/

But it might also be of interest to learn that The Fine Cheese Co. is an accredited partner of the Academy of Cheese, and will offer the Academy's training courses in the not too distant future.

Putting the ‘stud’ in studying. Ben and Alex.

The Academy of Cheese course has four stages or levels to it: Associate, Member, Fellow and finally the highly qualified and industry accredited role of Master of Cheese. The Fine Cheese Co. will start by teaching Level One accreditation, where Camembert-craving cadets can expect to receive a thorough education in the wheys of cheese across nine areas, including the likes of cheesemaking, maturing, grading and distribution. What's more, most of the course can be learned in one turbo-charged day of instruction, leaving students to complete their exam online at their leisure.

Speaking with Alex about the course earlier this week, he said, “I think people are really going to love this course. They’ve packed a tonne of information in, and you get to learn at your own pace. It’s so great for those looking to enhance their career in the cheese industry, but also for those who want to springboard into something new. But you don’t even need aspirations beyond your own interest, because it gives you the tools to increase your own understanding and enjoyment of cheese, and you can really impress your friends and family too. Which is always nice”.

While Ben said, “Please don’t use any embarrassing photos on the blog”.

"Here's looking at ewe..."  Ben takes a closer look at our Manchegos 

Insert joke here. Alex checks the development of a Cheddar using a cheese iron.

Of course, there may be cynics that doubt Ben and Alex are quite as cool as this blog is suggesting, despite the fact they spend most of their days in walk-in fridges. They might think it altogether more likely that the two of them simply grew tired of having their lunch money stolen, and so adopted the age-old tactic of finding strength in numbers with like-minded people at the Academy.

Whatever the case may be, the one thing that is beyond doubt is just how brilliant the Academy of Cheese’s courses are, and how fantastic it is that they have been made available and engaging to anyone with even the remotest of passing interests. Anyone that signs up with a yearning for learning is sure to be glad of it, and, who knows, perhaps they’ll have Ben or Alex as their instructors, allowing them to make their own minds up about the matter.