Paxton & Whitfield celebrates 225th birthday

Paxton & Whitfield, the UK's oldest cheesemonger with a store in Bourton on the Water is celebrating its 225th birthday this year and needs help from its customers! The company's archives were destroyed in a fire at its Jermyn Street-based shop after World War II and its records were lost forever. This year the Paxton & Whitfield team is embarking on a project to piece together the cheesemonger's heritage to mark this milestone birthday.

The company is inviting customers with a memory, story, or photo from recent or past times to email the information to history@paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk. For every story it publishes, it will plant a tree as part of The Queen's Green Canopy project. This is a unique tree-planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee this year which invites people from across the United Kingdom to plant a tree for the jubilee.

James Rutter, managing director of Paxton & Whitfield, says, "We're looking forward to hearing the memories and stories that our customers would like to share with us. From a small cheese stall in Aldwych, London to our internationally renowned business today, Paxton & Whitfield has always championed the best in artisanal British and Continental European cheeses. We've been through two World Wars and have successfully adapted to countless changes in cheese and retail trends in more than two centuries of trading; including most recently the Covid-19 pandemic."

James continues, "We pride ourselves on the quality of the cheeses and fine foods that we retail, our customer service and the exceptional experience that we offer. As we go forward into this year of celebration for the company, we will be hosting unique anniversary experiences and launching some exclusive new collections, to commemorate this remarkable achievement."

To find out more, visit www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk