See Kettle Chip’s Christmas tree made out of cheese and crisps

From L-R: Garry Steel of Kettle Foods with food artist Prudence Staite and Lucy Parish, general manager of The Feed in Norwich, decorating the 7ft cheese Christmas tree. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

The seven-foot cheese tree was made by using 80kg of cheddar and decorated with 45 cheese baubles as well as 40 red onions, together with a cheese ball garland and topped with a crisp star.

Standing on a potato crate scattered with crisps, the tree celebrates Norwich crisp maker Kettle Food's new mature cheddar and red onion flavour crisps, which uses more cheese.

The work of art was created by food artist Prudence Staite, who specialises in making sculptures out of cheese - having being commissioned in the past to create a large billboard as well as a model of a Greek god, all out cheese.

The cheese tree, currently on display at The Feed cafe in Prince of Wales Road, Norwich, has 100 hand-made decorations including:

Lucy Parish, general manager of The Feed in Norwich, around the 7ft cheese Christmas tree from Kettle Foods. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

Three crisp stars

12 transparent crisp baubles

10 strings of onion rings

Eight strings of cheese beads

A cow decoration, made from cheese...naturally, is placed on to the 7ft Kettle Foods cheese Christmas tree at The Feed social enterprise cafe in Norwich. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

10 strings of tinsel made from crisps

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The tree was assembled in the cafe and took three weeks to make. A wire tree structure was covered with the cheese from Davidstow, Cornwall, which goes in the crisps and as long as it is kept cool it should not melt.

Garry Steel of Kettle Foods hopes the quirky cheese Christmas tree will shine a light on the work that The Feed do to help vulnerable people in Norwich. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

The decorations were made by Miss Staite painstakingly using onions and carving out heart shapes in cheese as well as making the garlands by putting cheese balls on a long string.

Stars were made from wooden frames and then covered in crisps.

Lucy Parish, general manager at The Feed, which works in partnership with Kettle Foods, based in Bowthorpe, said: "It's not every year that you get offered a hand-carved Crisp-mas tree, and when Kettle approached us we couldn't refuse.

"As a social enterprise and charity orientated around supporting people in Norwich by using food to inspire and motivate change, it felt like the perfect way to celebrate the festive period."

The Kettle Foods cheese and onion Christmas tree at The Feed in Norwich. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

Kettle's innovation chef Phil Hovey said: "Our priority is on doing things the right way, which is exactly why we chose to work with Davidstow for our new seasoning - it has a perfect flavour profile."

It took food artist Prudence Staite three weeks to create the crisp garlands, cheese cows and onion baubles which adorn the Kettle Foods cheese tree at The Feed in Norwich. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

The Kettle Foods cheese Christmas tree at The Feed social enterprise cafe on Prince of Wales Road in Norwich. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)

Red onion baubles and crisp garlands decorate the Kettle Foods cheese Christmas tree at The Feed, social enterprise cafe in Norwich. Picture: Neil Didsbury (Image: Archant)