Charlie's
Academy of Cheese Courses: Information For Hosts
This page is to aid co-hosts of an Academy of Cheese Level 1 event in designing, preparation and marketing.
At Charlie’s training days, delegates enjoy a whole days tasting, learning and enjoying cheese. He covers the practical side of tasting cheese, brings detail to the more complicated materials, and gives an overview of the areas requiring self study.
Delegates unfirmly thoroughly enjoy the day, as tasting cheese and its provenance is at the heart of all topics and discussions.
The Academy Level 1 course is a day’s in-person course plus 4-6 hours of reading and an online exam. The programme is broken down into 9 chapters. On the day, Charlie will emphasise areas which benefit best learning in person and with other people. These include: tasting cheese, cheesemaking, classification of cheeses, presenting and serving cheese, and some cheese history. Other topics will be introduced briefly, and delegates can study them in their own time.
Some hosts prefer to see specific areas covered, such as more time tasting cheese or professional areas such as buying and distribution cheese. You can discuss this with Charlie to focus on what’s important to you.
The Academy of Cheese is the largest UK cheese teaching body, certifying both professionals and consumers in their cheese knowledge. The Academy is a not-for-profit organisation committed to increasing the world’s knowledge of and love of cheese.
The Academy of Cheese is the leading global cheese educational organisation, teaching students in over 80 countries.
Learning about cheese is a jointly educational and enjoyable. The programme is both sociable and academic, and full of enthusiasm. As an Academy of Cheese course it is a Level 1 accredited, making this the perfect day for anybody with an interest in cheese.
People who would be interested in the Academy Level 1 would include:
As standard, we taste 12 of the 25 in Level 1 Cheese. Charlie will select 12 cheese to guide the day. If you have any cheeses you would particularly like to taste we can incorporate them.
[Note: The lists below are linked to the Academy of Cheese Library. You need to registered as an Academy Level 1 Delegate to access them].
You can customise your event for your delegates or guests.
| Attendees | No minimum – up to 22 Each delegate will need to be registered with the Academy at £40pp | Please – Give an indication of the number of people attending at the time of booking – Provide names and email address for each delegate a minimum of two working days before the event |
| Length of Programme | In-class, typically 5-7 hours 4-6 hours additional reading of the Academy Learning road 30 minute exam Delegates have | Option: Select your hours of study |
| Exam | Multiple choice online – It is not invigilated – It is open book. – Delegates can have support materials to hand – 30 Questions – Pass mark 24 (80%) For most students there is plenty to time to complete the exam. People who have completed the learning road generally pass. Note: The Academy charges £25 to retakes the exam if a delegate fails | N/A |
| Same Day Exam | It is possible to take the exam on the same day as the class. To achieve this the delegates will need to have read the Learning Road through in advance of the day. While this has been very effective, some people may not have read the material in advance. If you select this option, either they may fail the exam, or it may be necessary for them to follow up with the exam at a later date | Option: Consider when you would like your team to take their exam |
| Pairing With Wine, Beer or Soft Drinks, Such As Apple Juice [Optional] | Pair with a range of drinks for pairing* | Optional**: Pairing with Wine(s), Beer(s)/Cider(s), Soft Drink(s) |
| Pairing With Food Accompaniments | Pair with a range of suitable accompaniments such as chutneys, fruits or anti-pasti * This section is not essential to passing their exam, but is a very enjoyable practical section for delegates | Optional**: Pairing with foods |
| Cheeseboard Assembly | Create a cheeseboard, including with biscuits, breads and accompaniments* | Optional**: Cheeseboards and accompaniments provided |
| Delegates Pack | The Academy provides a printed Delegates Pack, which includes – Cheese Library – Classification pamphlet – Simple cheesemaking pamphlet – Standards & Learning Outcomes (syllabus) | £15 per person |
* These options are not essential to passing the exam, but are a very enjoyable practical section for delegates
** An extra charge applies to these elements
The Academy provides
Every delegate will get access through the Academy portal to the above.
Delegates also get:
The Delegate’s pack is copyrighted material owned by the Academy of Cheese, and is available to Level 1 Delegates only. I can give you access as Host for a Level 1 event. Please do not share it these files.
Click for a sneak preview of the learning materials in the Delegates Pack:
We provide a dedicated learning pathway on the charlieturnbull.com website. This portal gives you a study pathway that co-ordinates with your classroom studies, and provides all our workbooks, supporting materials and links to the relevant Academy materials for your journey.
To support the study, delegates also get complimentary access to the charlieturnbull.com self-study programme:
No other study system gives this breadth of resources, choice and flexibility.
Full Biography: Charlie Turnbull – biography – CharlieTurnbull.com
