Year 4 pupils from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Bath have enjoyed a royal visit to The Bath Soft Co, including a chance to meet The Duchess of Cornwall.
The pupils’ visit coincided with an official visit to the farm by the Duchess, who was touring the farm to find out more about its cheese-making process and to enjoy the chance to taste the cheeses on offer.
The pupils’ visit started with a visit to the viewing room for a short talk about the history of the farm and a demonstration of the curdling process showing how rennet is added to milk. The children were then given the chance to taste the award-winning cheeses, with the Bath Blue (which was crowned overall champion at the 2014/15 World Cheese Awards) receiving mixed opinions from the children but being loved by the adults!
Next up for the children was a tour of the cheese dairy and the chance to watch the cheese being made. “We were all overwhelmed by the smell as we looked into each cheese’s store room,” explained Year 4 teacher Sorcha Rudgley. “The fact we were most interested to find out was that the harder the cheese, the longer the drying process.”
It was following the children’s return to the viewing room that they had the unexpected chance to meet The Duchess of Cornwall, adding an extra highlight to a very enjoyable visit.