Adventures in Paris with the International Cheese Guild

Eating cheese is one of life’s finest pleasures, regardless of location. But if I had to pick my ideal place get my fill of dairy it would be somewhere in France, where I would eat cheese SO stinky it could clear river banks the length of the Seine in seconds, washed down with some suitably rough red wine out of a tumbler. It’s hard, then, not to be jealous of our Chairman Bruce McDonald, who last month visited Paris for his induction into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers as a Compagnon d’Honneur, and was appointed as the Guilde’s UK ambassador.

The International Cheese Guild is a non-profit organisation open to professional cheese makers, whether they are dairy workers, producers, transformers, refiners, cheese/cream refiners or commercial workers: there are now around 6000 members across the world. The Guild – whose aim is to promote the fine art of dairy at all levels – has now joined forces with the Fraternity of St Uguzon, which is open to all-round cheese aficionados and experts, including chefs, restaurateurs, food scientists and journalists.

The Guild was formed in 1969 by Pierre Androuët, author of The Complete Encyclopaedia of French Cheese and a man so wise about dairy that he is known as the “Pope of Cheese”. In 1992 Roland Barthélemy – also an internationally renowned cheese expert – took over as president, and still holds that honour today. This year’s new members of the Guilde have yet to be confirmed, but each and every one of them will have made a significant contribution to the dairy industry, and we are thrilled to announce that the ICA will be hosting an Induction Ceremony during Trade Day on Tuesday 29th July to welcome them to the Guilde.