Charles delighted by ‘irresistible’ cheeses on Yorkshire visit

The Prince of Wales has sampled a range of cheeses made by small producers across the UK, telling a small shop owner: “It’s all so irresistible.”

Charles was tasting cheese for the second day in the north of England when he visited The Courtyard – a renovated farmstead in the Yorkshire Dales which is now home to a series of small businesses.

The prince crossed the border into Yorkshire after spending Tuesday in Lancashire. Touring the various ventures at The Courtyard, the prince was persuaded to taste a range of their cheeses by Andy and Kathy Swinscoe, owners of the The Courtyard Dairy.

Mr Swinscoe told Charles how they specialised in cheese made by small family farms, especially unpasteurised varieties from rare breeds. He said he thought sheep’s milk made the best cheese.

After trying a piece he was offered, the royal visitor said: “This is seriously good.”

Once he had tasted a number of Mr Swinscoe’s cheeses, he said: “God, it’s all so irresistible.”

The prince toured every business at The Courtyard including Dalesbred, the cabinet makers, The Lime Gallery and Buon Vino, which specialises in wines made using natural methods, organic farming and biodynamic production.

Charles took a close interest in the cakes in The Brasserie as the chefs told him how all were made on the premises with local ingredients.

The Courtyard was renovated in 2012 by Simon and Sally Robinson and Mark Hancock. Mr Robinson said the opening of the complex created 37 new jobs within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the biggest single creator of jobs in the park at the time.

He said: “I think it’s been a fabulous day today. He was so interested in everything and the story of developing the barn. The most impressive part was the interest he showed in every single business.”

He added: “He does like his cheese.”

Mr Robinson, who also runs the Dalesbred cabinet-making business at the site, said the prince was particularly interested in the problem of finding and training skilled craftsmen.

As Charles was leaving the site, he was approached by young farmer Craig Booth, who said he had taken time out from lambing to thank the royal visitor for the help he received from the Prince’s Trust to set up his quad bike-based snow ploughing and gritting business.

He shook Charles’s hand and said he just wanted to thank him personally before the pair chatted about lambing in the wintry weather. The prince left The Courtyard for further engagements in Yorkshire.