Surrey cheesemakers were the toast of two generations of war veterans at a special Christmas ceremony on December 2.
Dairy Crest from Esher, Lactalis-McLelland of New Malden and Eastside Cheese from Oxted donated a range of their finest cheeses to be enjoyed by Chelsea pensioners at the annual Ceremony of Christmas Cheeses at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Dairy Council hosting the ceremony, two soldiers from the Territorial Army (TA), Lance Corporal George Anderson, 31, and Private Ben Gorringe, 31, from the London Regiment attended the ceremony as they prepared for deployment to Afghanistan.
Pensioner John Goodenough, 69, was among the Chelsea pensioners who welcomed the TA soldiers.
L Cpl Anderson said: “It is a real honour to stand side by side with brave men who have been to war and fought for the freedom of our country.”
The cheese-giving tradition began in 1692 when the hospital asked a local cheesemonger to provide the pensioners with cheese as a Christmas treat.
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