Academie Opus Caseus Offers Course on Cheesemongering

The Academie Opus Caseus, professional development center at the heart of MonS Fromager Affineur, has launched a new four-day course for English-speaking cheese professionals focusing on the art of cheesemongering in the U.K., in collaboration with The School of Artisan Food. 

The course will include two days of classroom work at the school on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire in the north of England, covering the art of discussing cheese, sensory analysis, cutting and wrapping, sourcing cheese, and more, taught by the Academie’s director, Sue Sturman. Participants will travel to visit three cheesemakers: Innes Farm (goat), Sparkenhoe Farm (cow), and Ram Hall Dairy (sheep). In addition, they will spend time with Joe Schneider who makes the famed Stichelton right there on the Welbeck estate. The final day of the course will bring participants to London to visit with top cheesemongers Neal’s Yard Dairy, La Fromagerie, Paxton and Whitfield, and the Mons shop at Borough Market. 

Registration is available online. Tuition for the course is £1195 and is payable directly to the School of Artisan Food. A lodging and ground transportation package at the nearby Clumber Park Hotel is also available as a separate option, and must be booked via the School of Artisan Food upon registration for the course to obtain the package rate of £380 for the course and four nights’ accommodation. The course is limited to 10 participants, and a minimum of six enrollments is required for the course to be run. The course has been deliberately scheduled to coincide with the Science of Artisan Cheese Conference, Aug. 19-20.

The Academie Opus Caseus is the center for professional development within the MonS Company. The curriculum evolved out of practical, daily experience over decades, in collaboration with top French dairy scientists and researchers. Embedded within the MonS production and affinage facilities, students at the Academie are immersed in the daily operations, working side by side with MonS staff. All MonS staff are trained through the Academie. This is the Academie’s second collaboration with the School of Artisan Food. 

The School of Artisan Food was founded as a nonprofit institution in 2006 to teach all aspects of artisan food production. It offers a unique opportunity for people of all skill levels to expand their knowledge through a wide range of short courses, and a one-year Advanced Diploma with an emphasis on foods that ferment (bread, cheese, beer, charcuterie). 

For more information, please contact: Susan Sturman at ssturman@academie-mons.com  (+1 617 505 6235), or LeeAnna Rennie at lee-anna@schoolofartisanfood.org (+44 (0) 1909 532171).