Perry James Wakeman

CEO, Affineur of the Year, Cheese Judge
and Chief of Cheese at Rennet & Rind

Career Highlights

Perry Wakeman is Chief of Cheese at Rennet & Rind. He is known for his work in affinage, selecting and maturing British artisan cheese in our Cambridge maturing rooms, and he is a firm advocate for the people behind it, the small, independent cheesemakers who keep British cheese interesting. His approach has been shaped through years of refinement, experimentation and study with some of the world’s most experienced affineurs.

In 2022, Perry was crowned the UK’s first ever Affineur of the Year, winning the title in the first year the competition was held. Competitors were tasked with maturing a Quicke’s Cheddar for a full year. Perry’s cheese, titled Priscilla, took Supreme Champion and People’s Choice. In 2023, he won again, taking Supreme Champion for a second year running. In 2025, Perry won for a third time, making him a three-time Affineur of the Year.

In recognition of his contribution to the wider cheese world, Perry was inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers in 2024.

Perry is also a respected judge, with roles across the World Cheese Awards, the Virtual Cheese Awards and the Melton Mowbray Artisan Cheese Awards. At the World Cheese Awards, he has judged since 2018, serving as Captain Judge and, in 2025, representing England on the Super Jury, Championing the Winning cheese, 18-month matured Le Gruyère AOP, produced by Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen.

As CEO and Chief of Cheese at Rennet & Rind, Perry sits between British cheesemakers and the people eating the cheese. He selects each batch, then does the unglamorous daily work, tasting, turning, washing and waiting, so every cheese reaches the point where flavour and texture are exactly where they should be.