Military men will be feasting on fine foods this Christmas after dairy producers, including one from north Shropshire, donated 50 kilos of cheese.

Some of the finest cheeses from around Britain were handed to Chelsea Pensioners at a centuries-old ceremony in London yesterday, which was attended for the first time by troops bound for Afghanistan.

Belton’s Cheese, based at Whitchurch, handed over some wheels of its award-winning Red Leicester as part of the Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

The Dairy Council backed the event and said it was also donating the cheese to the Territorial Army London Regiment as a tribute to the bravery of serving troops and to mark the 50th anniversary of its support for the event.

Chelsea Pensioners present at the ceremony included 94-year-old World War Two veteran Bill Moylon, who helped build the bridge over the River Kwai while held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.

Mr Moylon said: “Everyone at the Royal Hospital Chelsea is delighted to welcome these young soldiers to the cheese ceremony which is a special day for us at this time of year.”

Lance Corporal George Anderson, 31, from Fulham, south west London, who has already served in Iraq, said: “It makes you feel very proud to be doing your bit for your country when standing alongside brave and dignified Chelsea Pensioners, especially when you consider the conditions that they suffered and the length of their campaigns.”