West Yorkshire cheesemonger serves up a storm on Mount Everest

Say cheese: Richard serves up Yorkshire produce on Everest

Richard Holmes, who runs Cryer & Stott in Allerton Bywater, showcased his produce at Everest base camp, which is still a dizzying 18,000 ft above sea level.

The trip was to help raise money for the Cash for Kids project by Radio Aire, which helps ill, disabled and disadvantaged children in West Yorkshire.

With home-made cheeses and chutney in his rucksack, he first flew to Lukla in Nepal - one of the most extreme airports in the world due to its proximity to the mountain range - then began the tough 80-mile trek to base camp.

But it was not all plain hiking for the cheesemonger, with Cryer & Stott business development manager, Jemma Ladwitch saying: “The trip was testing with all the planes grounded at Kathmandu due to treacherous weather conditions.

“He wasn’t going to let this stop him as he didn’t want to let the charity and sponsors down, so chartered a helicopter to take him to the bottom of Everest to start his climb to base camp. Altitude sickness and dizziness were worrying at times, but he said the scenery was out of this world and it’s an experience he’ll never forget.”

Richard’s cheese has picked up countless awards, not just in Yorkshire, but across the globe.

In 2016 the firm’s Duke of Wellington blue cheese, which has even been served the Queen, landed a gold at the World Cheese Awards.

Among the cheese he took with him to Everest were from Shepherds Purse Creamery in Thirsk, Wensleydale Creamery, a goats cheese from St Helen’s Farm in East Yorkshire, one from his own creamery at Cryer & Stott and a chutney from Mercers in Sherburn in Elmet.