Colston Bassett Dairy donates cheese to Royal Hospital Cheese as part of long standing tradition

A cheese maker has supported the Chelsea Pensioners at a recent ceremony.

Colston Bassett Dairy donated 8kg of blue Stilton to the annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses on Wednesday, December 6.

This formed part of a longstanding tradition where cheesemakers across the UK donated 330kg of British cheese to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Billy Kevan, CEO at Colston Bassett Dairy, said: “It has long been the tradition at Colston Bassett Dairy to donate our Stilton to the annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses.

“We take pride in producing exceptional British cheeses and our participation in the annual event is a great way to honour our brave veterans.”

The tradition of donating cheese to Chelsea Pensioners dates back to 1692.

Paul Vernon, chairman of Dairy UK, said: “We are very grateful to the cheesemakers from across the UK for their generous donations and their ongoing commitment to celebrating the men and women of this great British institution.

“This annual donation is a great tradition of paying tribute to the courage and contribution of our war veterans and we at Dairy UK are proud to play a part in this historic event.”