A FOREST farming family has presented Chelsea pensioners with a gift of cheese as part of a tradition that dates back 300 years.

Lyndon and Maria Edwards of Hanley Farm Shop at Tidenham provided their own cave-aged Kingdom Cheddar for the Chelsea pensioners to enjoy over the festive season.

The annual ceremony of the Christmas cheeses began in 1692 when the Royal Hospital in London asked a local cheesemonger to provide the pensioners with cheese as a tasty Christmas treat.

Cheesemakers across the country have continued this tradition ever since.

Lyndon said: “We were delighted to be invited to London to attend the ceremony.and to pay tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of our war veterans.”

“We presented cheeses made with milk from our own dairy herd – our award-winning traditional cave-aged Kingdom Cheddar and its two new varieties: cracked black pepper and caramelized onion.”