CURD TO COUNTER 2025
A MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME BY CHEESE JOURNEYS
2025 CURD TO COUNTER mentorship programme
We’re inviting you to join us as we go CURD TO COUNTER as part of a unique mentorship programme from 8 - 11 October 2025 in collaboration with British cheesemakers, and supported by Neal's Yard Dairy, that connects cheese retail professionals with Britain’s finest makers.
What is CURD TO COUNTER?
A three-day programme, exclusively for qualified cheese retail professionals based in the US, that gives participants the opportunity to meet and receive mentorship from Britain’s most renowned cheesemakers. Over the course of the programme, selected cheese professionals will be hosted by cheesemakers at their respective dairy and/or farm locations, have the chance to expand their cheese knowledge and expertise, and be fully immersed into the process of taking artisan cheese from curd to counter.
Think VIP dairy visit, fully facilitated by the Cheese Journeys team, that educates on cheese theory, history, dairy herd, making and maturing through to sustainable agriculture.
The programme runs from 8 - 11 October 2025 ahead of our British Cheese Odyssey tour which runs from 12 - 19 October 2025 and the ticket cost for the tour includes the mentorship programme.
Who are the British Cheesemakers taking part?
We’re proud to have partnered with the following British Cheesemakers in 2025:
Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy
Jamie Montgomery of Montgomery’s Cheese
Ben Ticehurst, Head Cheesemaker at The Trethowan Brothers
Jonny and Dulcie Crickmore of Fen Farm Dairy
Joe Schneider of Stichelton Dairy
Sarah and Paul Appleby of Appleby's Dairy
How do I apply?
If you’re a cheese retail professional based in the US, currently working in the industry and involved in selling British artisan cheese, we’d love to hear from you. All you need to do in order to apply is:
Send us your résumé (this should clearly outline your cheese retail experience)
Send us a one page vision on what you’ll do with the knowledge and experience gained from the programme, and how you might apply those learnings in your current place of work
Send us a signed letter of recommendation from your employee at the business you currently work
Please send the these three documents to Anna Juhl, Cheese Journeys Founder and CEO, via email at anna@cheesejourneys.com with CURD TO COUNTER Application in the subject line.
A detailed itinerary for the programme will be provided during application process.
What’s included?
The mentorship programme starts with a full day at Neal’s Yard Dairy with a group of its esteemed cheesemongers and export team at the company’s Borough Market retail location. Then, across the next two days participants will embark on a dairy/ farm visit with a British cheesemaker and mentor, and Cheese Journeys will cover the cost of transportation and accommodation to and while staying with cheesemakers - where their host will cover food and drink.
It’s important to note that CURD TO COUNTER runs ahead of our signature seven-day British Cheese Odyssey across London, Somerset and Bath - so selected cheese professionals will embark on this journey immediately after taking part in the programme.
The full UK tour ticket cost for cheese retail professionals chosen to take part is therefore inclusive of the mentorship programme, so this is a unique opportunity to up-skill through first-hand mentorship, build expertise on the art and science of cheesemaking and delight in endless culinary experiences.
The dates for next year’s British Cheese Odyssey are 12 - 19 October 2025, and you can discover the full itinerary here.
What’s the cost?
UK tour and mentorship programme tickets (combined) are $6,200 per person for double occupancy bookings and $6,900 per person for single occupancy bookings. These prices include both the three-day mentorship programme and seven-day tour of British Cheese Odyssey. Airfare is not included.
Contact
Want more information? Get in touch with Cheese Journeys Founder, Anna Juhl, via email if you have any questions about the mentorship, application process, costs or how CURD TO COUNTER bolts onto the UK tour.
Photography by Winter Caplanson
and Neal’s Yard Dairy