MANAGERS from a West Dorset farm enjoyed a royal visit to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen after they were given the royal seal of approval.

As reported in the Echo, Ford Farm, based at the Ashley Chase Estate in Litton Cheney, was given the Queen’s Award for International Trade earlier this year, after its soaring success exporting its cheese across the globe.

The company exports more than 1,000 tonnes of cheese to the United States every year and the Dorset-based business’s product is bought across the world – including in Kenya, India, Hong Kong and Israel.

Managers from the farm were invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen as she congratulated them on their ongoing success.

As well as being introduced to Her Majesty and Prince Phillip, the managers also enjoyed a drinks reception at the famous London landmark.

Ford Farm has seen export sales increasing by more than 50 per cent over the last two years.

Mike Pullin, director of Ford Farm, said: “It was a huge honour to go to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen on July 14.

“It’s been an incredible journey since we first started exporting our cheese to the USA back in 2000.

“Our US counterparts, Shannon Patten on the West Coast and Bruce Cohen on the East Coast are doing an amazing job and are continuing to open more and more new doors for us across the Atlantic.”

Not only has the firm been given the royal seal of approval, it has also been given yet more accolades.

As reported in the News, the firm recently won 14 awards at the British Cheese Championships 2015 for a variety of cheese that is produced at the west Dorset farm.

Now, it has scooped up another 11 honours at the Nantwich International Cheese Awards to add to its already bulging trophy cabinet.

The firm was given three gold awards for its smoked coastal cheese, its cave age cheddar, and its goat and black pepper variety.

The cave aged cheddar also picked up three silver and two more bronze awards in separate categories, making it the firm’s most successful cheese at the event.

The farm also won a silver award for its farmhouse block cheese and for its packaging of the class cave cheese. The cave aged goat flavour was also highly commended by judges.

Managers from the company collected the awards last month.

Mr Pullin said he was delighted to have won the awards.

He added: “Winning another raft of awards at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich is further testament to our brilliant team of cheese makers in the Dairy.

“Our business, both domestic and export, is wholly dependent on their expertise and ability to produce not only the finest quality cheese, but to produce it consistently, too.”

For more information on the farm or the awards it has recently won, visit fordfarm.com