Cannon Hall Farm has hosted plenty of celebrities in the past but they were easily eclipsed today by The Earl of Wessex.
He was due to spend an hour and a half but was enjoying himself so much that it was another half an hour before he was whisked away.
The farm on the Barnsley/Huddersfield border has grown immensely over the past two years as Roger Nicholson, his wife Cynthia and their three sons, Richard, Robert and David have overseen £3m invested in it.
So great has the investment been that it now resembles a medium size business with 38 new jobs bringing the total working there close to 200.
The Earl’s visit began promptly at 1.20pm and saw him shown all the latest developments.
The prince was shown around the recently refurbished farm shop, the new farmyard that opened in 2013 and the Hungry Llama indoor play area and restaurant that opened in March.
And he also got to meet seven of the farm’s apprentices and their tutor, chef Benson Smith.
The prince was keen to hear about the educational side of a business that is visited by over 20,000 schoolchildren each year.
And he left his mark unveiling a plaque to commemorate his visit.
Robert said it was the first royal visit to the farm and he had tempted the prince with one of the farm shop’s award-winning pork pies.
But Richard said: “He had half a pork pie. One was too much!
“The visit went really well and he spent half an hour longer than we were promised so that was a good sign. He picked the winner in a sheep race and had a buffet lunch with us.
“We’ve had quite a few celebrities come here over the years including Katherine Kelly from ITV soap opera Coronation Street, the cricketer Ryan Sidebottom and several regional newsreaders.”
