Speciality Food Magazine - April 2026

left him. “It really connects you to the cheese you’re selling and the incredible skill of its maker, and it’s such a pleasure to shepherd incredible cheese on its journey to being at its absolute best.” Aswith all art, affinage requires an investment of time. “You want to get your cheese looking its best and tasting fantastic, so you have to invest time and gain a little knowledge,” says Patricia Michelson of La Fromagerie. “Thewhole point of refining and ageing is time and checking how the cheese is responding to the atmospheric conditions of your ageing space – and remember once a cheese is opened all the ripening process stops so sell the cheese as quickly as possible. It’s like grooming – taking pride in your product and also thewayyou look after it.” T he finest cheeses require the finest care, but that doesn’t have tomean atmospheric – in moreways than one – cellars with the latest tech to ensure optimal conditions. In fact, armed with an understanding of rind development, a desired end result inmind and surprisingly simple kit, you can present your cheese at its very best. The start of your journey into affinagemaywell have been kick- started by the artistry of the skill; somethingwhich Ned Palmer, seasoned cheesemonger andwriter, is continuously inspired by. “When I first discovered affinage, itwas magic tome,” he begins, and that appreciation of its poetry has never mould development of soft cheeses and the “glisten” ofwashed rind cheeses. If large cheeses such as Brie de Meaux arrive rock hard, place them on the strawmat from theirwooden box in a heavy duty bin bag, and leave in a cool – but not the coldest – part of your fridge, says Patricia. A learnable instinct WhenNedwas at the start of his affinage career, he once asked cheese legend Bill Oglethorpewhy its care couldn’t be an algorithm – a simple ratio of temperature to time. “If you don’t playwithyour cheese, itwill playwithyou,”was his response. It’s a question of really feeling the cheese; understanding what it needs in themoment and responding in kind. “Perhaps the makerwas in a badmoodwhen he wasmaking this batch so added in more salt than usual, or theweather is playing up,” says Ned. “You need to understand the optimum balance of the cheese and keep it happy; ultimately, yourmain job is to notmess up this incredible creation of a skilled cheesemaker.” Once you’ve familiarisedyourself with the physical set-up of affinage and understood the varying needs of your cheeses, themoment has come tomasteryour timings. “There areways to speed up and slowdown the ripening process but never to halt it,” says Emma. “Time is one of the key factors of affinage, so it can bemanipulated slightly, however to look for a quick fix defeats thewhole object of affinage andwill not give the desired results.We have to be patient as affineurs! Andwe have to predict whatwill happen next based on our knowledge…and to knowhowto reactwhen things start to go down a different path.”Check outMons’ courses for an in-depth injection of know-how. Remember, especially if you really don’t have the time or resources to get into the affinage game – or simply don’t have the appetite to – the role ofwholesalers and especiallywholesalers/affineurs is to provide retailerswith cheese at their optimumstate, even toyour distinct specifications, reminds Emma. Ultimately, affinage is an artform – but some of the best creativity hails fromchallenging situations. If you’ve believedyou need rafts of underground chambers, perfectly humidified and temperature- gauged, to present optimumcheese toyour customers,we hope the abovewill inspire you to create perfectionwithwhat you have. Ageing cheese may seem a luxury skill to add to your offering, but it’s easier than you may think The Art of Affinage Counterpoint. A lot of affinage startedwith ‘bricolage orDIY, and is still how a lot is done to this day ona small scale as it is so effective. Smaller batches and quantities of cheese can bemuch easier to control GOAT: you want a beautiful rippled natural rind that adheres closely to the cheese for younger cheeses. BLOOMY RINDED: you want to see a lovely white mould development that is not dry, cracked or weeping – I want to taste the whole cheese from croute to aime (crust to heart). WASHED RIND: you don’t want to see too dark brown edges or heaven help dry and hard coat – you want a beautiful bright and glistening outer rind that has a good earthy aroma and once cut open melts at the edges with the heart still intact. HARD: you want a crust that is even and well cared for – brushed to remove dust mite and not brittle. BLUE: you want to see an even development of the blue veining – and the crust to not be too dry and not too wet. You can keep blues much colder than other cheeses but keep an eye on them that they don’t start to weep. AFFINAGE AT A GLANCE PATRICIA’S GUIDE TO PERFECTLY CARED-FOR CHEESES TOP TIPS Limitedresources? Noproblem A lack of spacemay not be the hurdle you think it is. “Limited space and budget are not an issue,” says EmmaYoung, The Cheese Explorer. “In fact, a lot of affinage startedwith ‘bricolage’ orDIY, and this is still howa lot of it is done to this dayon a small scale as it is so effective. Smaller batches and quantities of cheese can bemuch easier to control.” “If you haven’t got an ageing roomwith humidity then the best you can do even if it’s just a basic fridge is to introduce some humidity. Try lining a tupperware boxwith dampened paper towel and then layyour cheeses – a single type – onwaxed paper in the box. Close the lid andyou have created a little humidity chamber,” suggests Patricia. Check for the SPONSORED BY