DII at the Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses

On Wednesday 3 December, I attended the 66th Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses at the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London. For those not in the know, this event is a tradition, a regular annual event that dates back to as early as 1692. Every year, dairy from all across the UK comes together to collate and present an assortment of cheeses for the Chelsea Pensioners living at the hospital. Hosted by Dairy UK, I was honoured to be invited into a decadent hall filled will Christmas cheer and a much less formal air than I anticipated.

Not to say that this was not a formal affair, mind you. Much of the attendees were dressed not just formally, but fit for ceremony, and after a while that is what we were privy to. A vibrant brass band sounded the arrival of the Chelsea Pensioners, as the rest of the press and I were seated and treated to a speech from Dairy UK chairman Paul Vernon, who asserted the value of camaraderie and togetherness before commencing the cheese cutting ceremony.

The cheese cutting ceremony is a traditional part of this event, and not something I was particularly familiar with beforehand. Every year, one of the pensioners will cut into a Ceremonial Montgomery Cheddar, and this year it was Andy Kay, an ex-soldier for the British Army and The Royal Scots aged 75. It was altogether a rather swift moment, but nevertheless powerful – especially for someone as new to the scene as myself.

The ceremony was rounded off by a spectacular surprise performance by Strictly Come Dancing stars Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone, two professional dancers who my mum was very jealous that I got to meet when she heard about it later that evening. After their dances, which included an Argentine tango (something I’ve been told is a speciality of theirs), I decided that I had to get a picture with the two of them as they started mingling a bit with some of the crowd.

Pictured from left to right: Flavia Cacace, Matthew Camp, Vincent Simone. Image Credit: Matthew Camp

Once everyone had filtered out, we were all treated to lunch in an equally opulent dining area in which I got to meet many new, friendly faces in the industry. Overall, I truly felt a part of the community which Paul Vernon had been speaking about earlier. I was warmly welcomed by many who were much more experienced than myself and eager to chat with me about the history of the event as well as answer any other questions I had. I definitely left the venue that day feeling like I had been a part a group that has made a positive impact on a lot of different people.

(Ed note: Matthew Camp is the editorial assistant for Dairy Industries International)