18/03/13

Tasty sales boost for Kentish cheese at enthronement of Archbishop of Canterbury

Produce from Cheesemakers of Canterbury will be served at the enthronement of the archbishop

by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Kentish cheeses are set for a sales boost as they prepare to tantalise the tastebuds of royalty and the new Archbishop of Canterbury this week.

Cheesemakers of Canterbury will be offering cheeses and butter at the official banquet for the enthronement of the Archbishop on Thursday.

The guestlist at a feast designed to showcase the best of Kentish produce includes the Prince of Wales.

The three cheeses chosen for the banquet are Canterbury Cobble, Ancient Ashmore - made by both Cheesemakers of Canterbury - and Ellie's Dairy Goat's Cheese, made by Debbie Vernon at Wychling, near Sittingbourne.

It is the first of several events to raise the profile of the county's food and drink producers.

In April, the cheeses will feature in a month-long promotion of Kentish food at Selfridge's in London. And on May 15, the products will be among a wide range of produce at a tasting in the House of Commons for the county's MPs and guests.

"It has been quite a few weeks for us," said owner Jane Bowyer, at her dairy at Dargate, near Faversham. "We have just won the awards for best dairy product, best overall product, and best artisanal producer at the Taste of Kent Awards, and now come all these opportunities to show people what Kent is capable of.

"You just have to pinch yourself and remember it is all about the cheese, and the people who make it with such care day in, day out, year in, year out.

"None of this would have happened without their constant care and hard work."