Video and Pictures: Princess Anne unveils new centre at Shropshire's Harper Adams University

Princess Anne, who is also the university's chancellor, officially opened a new £4 million Dairy Crest Innovation Centre.

So it was only appropriate that she was treated to a slab of five-year-old vintage cheddar, presented in a wicker basket.

The cheese was part of a luxury hamper given to the princess by Ella Weston-Webb and Ella Woolhouse, who are due to start a placement at Dairy Crest in June.

During her visit Anne enjoyed a private tour of the centre, before meeting representatives from both Dairy Crest and the university.

The Princess Royal, who also enjoyed a private lunch, said: "I just want to thank Dairy Crest for joining Harper Adams. It is really exciting for everybody but it is really nice for the university to have its future represented in such an exciting way and I am very excited to see what this will bring. It is my pleasure to open the new centre."

Coverage from Harper Adams - scroll down to read more:

The new innovation centre was built at the university in Newport following the closure of the Crudgington site in February last year. About 40 members of staff have now moved across to the new site at the university.

At the peak of its operation, the Crudgington plant employed about 200 people producing spreads such as Clover, Argento and Willow, plus Country Life Butter.

Well, we know she likes cheese and, like many of us, finds that the stronger it is, the less you eat, writes Shirley Tart,

Although the Princess Royal also recalled with a chuckle that she once bought some chilli cheese back from an overseas visit and added: "Wow, and how they smoke their chillies!"

But the princess, who is chancellor of Harper Adams University at Edgmond, knows her stuff – not just about cheese and production of other food but she is passionate about agriculture in general. And yesterday, it was cheese with a royal flourish when the Chancellor flew in to a warm and enthusiastic welcome.

To coin another foodie comment, fresh from being voted University of the Year for 2016, for Harper Adams University it is always the icing on the cake when the chancellor joins them, especially to help acknowledge yet another valuable partnership for the trail-blazing university and other enterprises. Voters clearly knew their stuff and comedian Jimmy Carr crowned Harper Adams with the title at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards. Great then, yesterday, to see how a number of Harper's own students are currently working with Dairy Crest and in some cases, looking for careers in food creation and production.

And indeed, who better than the Princess Royal to give the formal blessing and officially open the new Dairy Crest Innovation Centre.

On our royal tour of the premises, Dairy Crest's expert Simon Hunt talked to us about demineralised whey powder and galactooligosaccharide – a prebiotic and GOS for short. A quick competition between us revealed that nobody could pronounce it and the princess cheerfully said she wasn't even going to try. "GOS will suit me very well," she said briskly.

Wearing an "in between" tweed coat and elegant boots as a nod to the weather, the royal visitor was as brilliant as she always is when talking about agriculture, farming, food processing and so on.

At the area suggesting that toast consumption in the UK is declining, with statistics explained by undergraduate student Harper's Emily Potter, the royal visitor wondered if that was anything to do with gluten-free saying: "That seems to me to sometimes be a bit of a fashion item."

Nearby, Harper postgraduate student Rebecca Park was posing a question about the effects of aeration and whipping on the shelf-life of butters and spreads. This was technical stuff. But the princess was clearly absorbed by it and – unlike some of us – understood the question and probably the answer as well.

Mark Allen, chief executive of Dairy Crest, said: "I am delighted we were able to welcome the Princess Royal to open our new Innovation Centre.

"We are particularly proud that the building, where our research and development and technical teams are based, is built on the campus of Harper Adams University.

"The university is well known and respected for its leading role in food, farming and science education.

"Her Royal Highness heard about the unique partnership which Dairy Crest has entered into with Harper Adams.

"This partnership is built on regular interaction between our staff and Harper Adams students, giving us a link into leading research within the agriculture and food sectors."

He added: "Dairy Crest will further support the university curriculum by providing student placements, staff secondments and guest speakers."

Fresh from celebrating the Queen's 90th birthday, th princess was all smiles as she met students.

Also at the event was the mayor of Newport Councillor Tim Nelson, who was told on the day that he would have the honour of meeting Princess Anne.

Councillor Nelson used to work at the old Crudgington site, where he was area manager for many years.

He said: "I only found out when I arrived that I would be welcoming the princess when she arrived. I've never had the chance to meet a royal before and I was so excited to be invited to the opening. This is such a fantastic opportunity for Newport and for the county.

"Our town is the smallest university town in the country and to have a centre like this on our doorstep is great for everyone, that includes the community and even the economy.

"It has been a great day and I used to work at Dairy Crest in the 90s so it was great seeing some old faces here at the opening."

Student Ella Woolhouse, who is originally from Yorkshire, said it was an honour being asked to represent the university at the event.

The 22-year-old said: "I got an email asking me to take part in the opening and I was honoured.

"It really is quite something being apart of this. I was asked as I will be starting a placement with Dairy Crest in June."

Ella Weston-Webb, aged 20, said: "This is the first event we have been to for Dairy Crest and it is very exciting.

"I am very excited to have met the Princess Royal and I am really looking forward to starting my placement with the company in June."

During the event Thomas Atherton, financial director for Dairy Crest, spoke about how Harper Adams is a great site for the company. He said: "Innovation is key here at Dairy Crest and I know we have been through a tough 12 months. It will be a fantastic resource."