About Rennet & Rind
Multi-award-winning cheesemonger, affineur, and maturing house. Over 30 years sourcing and refining outstanding British artisan cheese, made on farms by independent cheesemakers across the British Isles.
The People Behind the Cheese
At the heart of Rennet & Rind is a partnership built on decades of experience, a shared commitment to quality, and a genuine love for British artisan cheese.
Perry Wakeman
Perry runs Rennet & Rind. From the day-to-day operations and wholesale strategy to supplier relationships, team leadership, and the brand's direction. It all flows through him. He's also a three-time UK Affineur of the Year, Britain's first ever recipient of the title, and a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. In 2025 he served on the Super Jury at the World Cheese Awards in Bern, championing the winning Gruyere from over 5,244 entries. Perry is as comfortable in the maturing rooms as he is steering the business.
About Perry
Mark Hulme
Mark's love affair with cheese began in 1977 with a slice of Kefalotyri from a Cypriot shepherd. By 1989 he was selling artisan cheese around Cambridge from one van and a small coldroom. A fellow member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, over three decades he has built Rennet & Rind into one of the most respected names in British artisan cheese, with his own maturing rooms and a network of makers who trust him with their finest wheels.
About MarkMore Than a Cheesemonger
We don't just sell cheese. We refine it. Affinage is the art and science of maturing cheese, and it's what sets Rennet & Rind apart. We receive young cheeses from independent British makers and mature them in our own rooms in Cambridge, carefully controlling temperature and humidity to bring out each cheese's full potential.
It's a rare thing in the UK. Most retailers sell cheese as they receive it. We take the time to develop unique flavour profiles, turning already good cheese into something exceptional. Every wheel is monitored, turned, and assessed by hand.
This craft earned Perry three Affineur of the Year titles. Combined with his leadership of the business, from wholesale operations and team management to brand strategy and international growth, it's why chefs, delis, and retailers across the country and beyond trust Rennet & Rind with their cheese.
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Our Story
It started with a slice of Kefalotyri. In 1977, Mark Hulme was living in Cyprus when a shepherd offered him cheese and bread. That sharp, tangy mouthful sparked something. Over the years that followed, Mark's curiosity grew into a quiet obsession with how cheese is made, how it matures, and what makes one wheel extraordinary and another ordinary.
By 1989 he was selling artisan cheese around Cambridge from one van and a small coldroom. There was no grand plan, just a belief that people deserved better cheese and that the small-scale British makers producing it deserved a voice. The business grew steadily. More cheeses, more makers, more customers who understood the difference.
In 2013, Perry Wakeman joined the team. He came with energy, a natural feel for the craft, and a curiosity that matched Mark's own. The two clicked. Where Mark had built the foundations over decades, Perry brought a restless drive to push things further. Together they began developing Rennet & Rind's own cheeses, The Duke and The Duchess, and started thinking seriously about affinage: the art of maturing cheese to bring out its full character.
In 2018, they travelled to France to learn from Herve MonS, one of the world's greatest affineurs. When they returned, they built their own purpose-built maturing rooms in Cambridge. It changed everything. For the first time, they could take young cheeses from British makers and develop them into something with real depth and personality. Not many people in the UK were doing this. Rennet & Rind became one of the few.
The recognition followed. In 2022, Perry became Britain's first ever Affineur of the Year. He won it again in 2023, and again in 2025, for Dillon, a limited-edition cheddar that began as an experiment and became something special. That same year he served on the Super Jury at the World Cheese Awards in Bern, judging over 5,244 entries from 46 countries and championing the winning Gruyere by a single point.
In between, the business kept growing. A retail shop opened on Stamford's High Street in 2023. The wholesale operation expanded. The team grew. But the core of it has stayed the same: two people who care deeply about British artisan cheese, a network of independent makers who trust them, and a set of maturing rooms where good cheese becomes great.
Key Milestones
Where it all began
Mark Hulme's first love affair with cheese began with a slice of Kefalotyri from a Cypriot shepherd while living in Cyprus. That tangy, sharp mouthful planted the seed for everything that followed.
One van and a coldroom
Mark began selling artisan cheese around Cambridge. One van, a small coldroom, and an ambition to bring the finest British farmhouse cheese to people who cared about quality.
Perry joins the team
Perry Wakeman arrived with energy, curiosity, and a deep respect for the craft. He quickly became a close partner and the second lifeblood of the business.
The Duke and The Duchess
After months of development and refinement, we created our own cheeses: The Duke, a cultured blue, and The Duchess, an alpine-style cheese bathed in English sparkling rose. Both went on to win at the World Cheese Awards.
Academy of Cheese
Rennet & Rind became a Patron of the Academy of Cheese, delivering the first professional cheese certification in the UK. Education has always been central to what we do.
Learning from the best
Mark and Perry travelled to France to study with Herve MonS, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, learning the art and science of affinage from one of the world's greatest. On their return, they built Rennet & Rind's first purpose-built maturing rooms.
First Affineur of the Year
Perry became Britain's first-ever Affineur of the Year, a recognition of the skill and dedication that goes into every wheel we mature.
Back-to-back and a shop in Stamford
Perry won Affineur of the Year for the second consecutive time. The same year, Rennet & Rind opened its retail shop at 16 High Street, Stamford. A place for people to taste, learn, and take home something special.
Three-time champion and World Cheese Awards
Perry claimed his third Affineur of the Year title, this time for Dillon, a limited-edition cheddar. He then served on the Super Jury at the World Cheese Awards in Bern, judging over 5,244 entries from 46 countries and championing the winning Gruyere by a single point.
Our Own Cheeses
As well as sourcing and maturing dozens of award-winning British cheeses, we make our own. Developed in-house and refined over months of careful experimentation.
The Duke
A cultured blue with complex, layered flavours. Soft natural rind, golden interior with dashes of royal blue. Creamy, sweet, and savoury with a peppery finish that lingers.
Shop the Duke
The Duchess
A firm, supple alpine-style cheese bathed in English sparkling rose from Saffron Grange. Full of buttery warmth with an elegant curtsy of sweet notes on the finish.
Coming SoonOur British Cheesemakers
Britain now produces over 1,000 named cheeses and wins more awards at the World Cheese Awards than our French cousins. At the centre of that are the independent farmhouse makers. Small-scale, passionate, and deeply skilled.
We work closely with each of our makers. We visit their farms, understand their challenges, and know their cheese at every stage. Many of our products are locally sourced, and by supporting these producers we help them keep making the cheese that matters.
Visit Us in Stamford
Our shop on Stamford's High Street is where you can see, smell, and taste the cheese before you buy. Come and meet the team, sample from our collection, and take something special home with you.
From Pasture to Plate
What makes British artisan cheese truly remarkable is not just the final product, but the entire journey from pasture to plate. The climate, the soil, the breed of cattle, the season. All of it shapes the milk, and the milk shapes the cheese.
We regularly visit the farms where our cheeses are made, because understanding where a cheese comes from is essential to maturing it well. From the lush pastures of Somerset to the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, every environment leaves its mark.
Our British Dairy Farms
Buy Independent. Buy British.
Over 80 artisan cheeses, matured in our own rooms, delivered fresh to your door. Free delivery on orders over £55.