Tanny Gill: filling a missing link
A new academy will raise the status of Scottish cheese, writes JULENA DRUMI
Whisky, wine and beer enthusiasts have always relied on age-old methods to provide assurances about quality standards and provenance and now the same guarantees are being offered to the nation’s cheese lovers.
Tanny Gill, one of Scotland’s World Cheese Awards judges, has launched The Scottish Cheese Academy to fill a gap in professional education, help cheese fans learn more about Scottish cheese, and help give it the cultural status and global reverence of Scotch Whisky.
The Scottish Cheese Academy is the first of its kind in Scotland, and will deliver certified cheese education, bespoke hospitality training, and cultural tourism experiences, acting as the official voice for Scottish cheese expertise. For those looking to boost a career or simply refine a palate, The Scottish Cheese Academy brings sommelier level expertise.
The Academy will deliver a number of services designed for luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants, retailers, international visitors and cheese lovers. With delivery of the globally recognised Academy of Cheese certified programmes, it will help hospitality businesses ensure staff are qualified to industry standards.
The Hospitality Partnership Programme offers staff training to help improve employee expertise and career development. Specialist Masterclasses will offer high value workshops focusing on cultural pairing, including advanced cheese and Scotch whisky matching, gin pairing, and seasonal wild food integration.
There are also sessions for cheese lovers and tourists with sessions designed to focus on storytelling, provenance, and the rich history of Scottish artisan food with high end sensory experiences.
The launch is backed by a Strategic Advisory Board (the Cheese board?) with experts from the global luxury and dairy sectors. Board members include international experts like Patricia Michelson of La Fromagerie, Andrew Baker the chair of Highland Fine Cheeses, and Susan Sturman the head of Makers & Mongers, establishing immediate credibility for the Academy.
Gill’s career encompasses hands-on production at Isle of Mull Cheese, specialised retail mastery at London’s iconic La Fromagerie, and over two decades in commercial leadership at Clarks Speciality Foods.
One of Scotland’s only World Cheese Awards judges, he is also actively involved with the Royal Highland show Cheese and dairy awards, launching The Scottish Cheese Academy with international tasting credibility.
“The Scottish Cheese Academy was born from a desire to transform passionate industry individuals into experts,” says Gill.
“Having worked from the production floor at Isle of Mull to the premium retail environment of La Fromagerie, I realised there was a missing link in how we educate our professionals. My goal is to raise the standard of service across the hospitality sector and champion our heritage with the same rigour applied to the world’s finest wines and whiskies.
“Hospitality teams need the confidence to sell and describe artisan cheese with the same fluency they use for wine.
“But equally, the Academy delivers the high-end sensory experiences food lovers need to truly understand the history and flavour profiles of our amazing cheeses.”
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