THREE cheesemakers have donated their products to the Chelsea Pensioners as part of this year's Ceremony of Christmas Cheeses.
The Dairy Council's annual Christmas ceremony, at the Royal Hospital, in Chelsea, featured cheese from across North Yorkshire.
Settle producers Ribblesdale Cheesemakers, provided some of their Wensleydale, Shepherd's Purse, of Thirsk, sent a Yorkshire Blue, and Wensleydale Dairy Products, of Hawes, donated a Blue Wensleydale and a Wensleydale and Cranberry.
The traditional ceremony for the Chelsea Pensioners has been a regular Christmas festivity at the Royal Hospital, in London, since The Dairy Council began presenting the war veterans with cheeses in 1956.
The tradition itself dates back to 1692, when the hospital instructed a local cheese seller to provide pensioners with cheese as a Christmas treat.
The chairman of The Dairy Council, Chris Bird, said: "Much of the affection that the dairy industry holds for this unique and prestigious event is down to the gratitude and respect we have for the armed forces."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article