King Charles III and The Queen Consort visit Malton and meet artisan food producers of 'Yorkshire's foodie capital'

Fondly known as Yorkshire’s Food Capital by residents and visitors alike, the market town has been long established as a food lovers’ haven.

And at the heart of Malton’s food scene, is a charming converted coaching yard, Talbot Yard, home to six artisan food producers, which is where Their Majesties congregated this afternoon.

Their Majesties spent time meeting and speaking with the owners and staff of all six artisan food producers housed in Talbot Yard – Rare Bird Gin Distillery, Florian Poirot, Groovy Moo Gelato, Food 2 Remember, Bluebird Bakery and Roost Espresso Bar - learning about their individual crafts and products, their passion for the circular economy, and even tasting some of their mouth-watering produce.

Former York-based firefighter, Matt Stewart, was the first Talbot Yard producer that His Majesty The King spoke to during his visit to the Grade II listed stable block where he was introduced to Florence, the 300 litre copper still with a luminous dome shape, reminiscent of the Duomo that influenced her name.

The gins distilled on the premises in Florence include a London Dry Gin that has just been awarded a Bronze Medal by the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

Matt Stewart, from Rare Bird Gin Distillery, said: “It was such an honour to meet His Majesty The King this afternoon, and to showcase all of the hard work and passion that goes into running our distillery here in Talbot Yard.

"Malton is such a special place for food and drink creations and we are so grateful that Their Royal Majesties took some time out of their incredibly busy schedules to visit our wonderful town and try some of our delights.”

Tom Naylor-Leyland, Director of Visit Malton, said: “It is an absolute privilege for the town to have hosted Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort in Malton’s Talbot Yard this afternoon.

"We as a town are so proud of our locally produced food and drink credentials; over the last decade we have really built an incredibly close-knit community of independent, artisan producers, who have a passion for creating delicious products from an abundance of superb, local ingredients.

"We do hope that The King and Queen Consort enjoyed their very first visit to Yorkshire’s Food Capital!”

Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort also met and spoke with the founders of Circular Malton, who shared information about their initiative aiming to create Yorkshire’s first circular market town, through working closely with Malton’s independent businesses by reusing, refurbing and reducing waste and consumption wherever possible.

Malton is also recognised for its year-round calendar of food-themed events hosted by Visit Malton, from monthly food markets, to a gastronomical guided-food tour around the town, and the headline event, the Malton Food Lovers Festival; one of the UK’s largest free-to-enter food festivals, which takes place across two Bank Holiday Weekends in May and August.

Visit www.visitmalton.com to find out more about the Visit Malton and its collection of artisan food producers.