Cambridge-based Rennet and Rind to open in Stamford High Street

An artisan cheesemonger hopes to provide a town with its fromage fix.

Rennet and Rind will open in the former Stamford Cheese and Deli shop in the High Street later this month.

‘Chief of cheese’ Perry James Wakeman described it as being ‘right place at the right time’.

“It will be nice to show people what we are really good at as a country,” he said, describing the artisan cheese industry.

Business founders Jan and Mark Hulme from Castor began selling cheese in 1988 to the colleges of Cambridge University and top restaurants in the city. This was the same year the now-chief executive Perry was born.

Over time the business developed but it was covid which set the wheels rolling on creating the brand Rennet and Rind.

Under this name the team sources artisan British cheese made on farms and matures it in its own affineur rooms in Cambridge.

Rennet and Rind also has two of its own cheeses - The Duke and The Duchess.

“We are perfectionists,” said Perry, who is from Cambridge.

“The cheeses are on another level.

“That is the difference between us and supermarkets.”

Before signing the lease on the new shop Jan and Mark regularly visited Stamford for the Friday market and knew the former owners of Stamford Cheese and Deli, Peter and Alex Podstolski.

“Stamford has a really independent vibe which is what our business model is,” said Perry.

An important part about owning a shop is having the dialogue with customers - as well as offering tasters.

As the seasons change so will the many cheeses on offer.

“With artisan cheese the flavours are up and down - there is always something that someone likes.

“Hopefully we will really get to know people in Stamford’s taste,” said Perry, the country’s first ever Affineur of the Year.

The 35-year-old became interested in cheese while working as an IT consultant in London living a ‘champagne lifestyle with a lemonade budget’.

It was through dining out in nice restaurants - covered by expenses - he got his first taste for proper cheese and the vast number of flavours and types. He went on to attend fairs and shows to educate himself.

“It really intrigued me,” he said, adding that ‘it is hard not to fall in love’ with the career.

It was through this he learnt the science behind tastes such as how overmilking a cow affects the taste or which field the animal was grazed in.

The types of cheese behind the counter at Rennet and Rind include soft, hard, blue, washed and goats’.

Rennet and Rind also offers ‘cheese companions’ such as crackers and chutneys, and cheese ‘wedding cakes’.