The Annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses took place yesterday (Wednesday, December 5) to kickstart Christmas festivities, with cheesemakers from across the UK donating some of their finest produce to the veterans of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Dairy UK presented the Chelsea Pensioners with over 330kg of donated cheese by British cheesemakers, as part of the annual tradition to honour the nation’s veteran service men and women, which dates back to 1692.
Guests were welcomed into the ceremony to the backdrop of the Band of the Welsh Guards, before the governor of the Royal Hospital’s Party, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw KCB OBE DL, opened the ceremony.
Dairy UK chair, Paul Vernon, followed this by thanking the Royal Hospital for their support, while also paying tribute to the long heritage of the event, which he said, was indicative of the dairy sector’s consistent dedication to veterans.
Vernon also commended the great taste and versatility of British cheeses, which have earned them a beloved status and a starring role on annual festive cheeseboards.
He said: “As our trusted friends of many years, we’re grateful to the Royal Hospital for their continued support of the Cheese Ceremony and their unwavering love of British cheese.
“My hope is that the veterans at the Royal Hospital deservedly enjoy these exceptional cheeses this Christmas season — whether melted in a sandwich, stirred into pasta, tucked into a pie, grated on a baked potato, or simply enjoyed in all their natural, unadulterated glory.”
Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses
Every year, a Chelsea Pensioner is selected for the Cutting of the Ceremonial Cheese, with Victor Lucas, who joined the Royal Hospital in 2022, accepting the honour of cutting this year’s 24kg Ceremonial Montgomery Cheddar.
Lucas, who was born in 1947, joined the Royal Scots in 1968 where he continued to serve for 24 years. During this time, he served in the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, on operations in Northern Ireland, Germany and around Europe as part of the ACE Mobile Force.
He retired in 1992, following his final post as his Battalion’s Regimental Sergeant Major. Upon retirement from the Army, Lucas moved to the Tower of London as a Yeoman Warden, where he remained for 20 years, which included the promotion to Yeoman Gaoler.
Entertaining the guests was fellow Chelsea Pensioner, Roy Palmer, who gave a special reading of a poem he wrote, celebrating the history of this much-loved tradition at the Royal Hospital, alongside an operatic performance from Faith Tucker.
Pensioners were also treated to vintage ale, donated by Asahi UK and Fuller’s Griffin Brewery, on the day.
