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Staffordshire pottery pig mugs save Duke’s bacon when he buys them as a last minute wedding anniversary gift

A pair of Staffordshire-made pig mugs have helped to save a Duke’s bacon after he picked them up as a last minute wedding anniversary present during a visit to a local farm shop and café.

HRH Prince Richard The Duke of Gloucester spotted the mugs, made by Stoke-based Moorland Pottery, on a shelf during a tour of Denstone Farm Shop and Café, in Main Road, Denstone, yesterday.

The Duke, who is the Queen’s cousin, told farm shop owners Rupert and Emma Evans that it was the day of his 39th wedding anniversary and that he had not yet managed to buy a present for his wife. But, he said, the Duchess was fond of pigs, leading him to select two of the £10.95 mugs and pay for them at the till.

The visit took place at the start of a busy day for the Duke, who also visited JCB in Rocester before moving onto the National Memorial Arboretum in Alderwasley, where he unveiled a memorial commemorating the part played by Canadian aircrew in the Second World War.

During his 50-minute visit to the Denstone venue he chatted with staff and a number of guests, including Councillor Philip Atkins, the leader of Staffordshire County Council, and Graeme Whitehead, manager of tourism body Destination Staffordshire.

Rupert and his father-in-law, David Boden, demonstrated how they make the shop’s award-winning Staffordshire Sizzler sausages, while the Duke also revealed that he has something of a sweet tooth, turning down the chance to sample the café’s speciality courgette cake in favour of a chocolate brownie.

Rupert said: “We were midway through the tour when the Duke saw the pig mugs and went over to them. He said today was his wedding anniversary and that he had left it late to get his wife a present so, since she like pigs, they were a perfect choice.

“It was a lovely moment in a very successful visit. We are a relatively new business, so hosting a visit from such a high profile person was a tremendous honour for us, while it was great to spread the word about the fantastic local produce we sell here.

“The Duke is also a farmer, so we also talked about issues that are of real importance to the industry, not least the need for farmers to diversify and get involved in the fast-growing farm shop movement."