CHEESE produced at a north Hampshire farm is being used in a popular salad by a national sandwich chain.

Pret A Manger is using 25g mozzarella from Laverstoke Park Farm in its new vegetarian salad at all 486 of its branches, following the success of its meat version which launched in 2016.

The meat version, which includes chicken along with the mozzarella, has become Pret’s second most popular salad, and Laverstoke hopes the new vegetarian version, which launched in April and includes pine nuts and chargrilled pepper, will become just as successful.

Jody Scheckter, who owns the farm along with his wife Clare, said: “We have been supplying Pret with our mozzarella for their chicken salad for the last year-and-a-half and we have just started supplying them with mozzarella for a second salad that is vegetarian. They are our largest customer and  we are very proud to be supplying such a well-respected company as Pret.”

Laverstoke Park Farm, which was founded in 1996 by 1979 Formula One world champion Jody, has been celebrating numerous successes.

The 2,500 acre farm, which is home to the largest herd of water buffalo in the UK, makes and supplies the Fuller, Smith and Turner estate’s 194 pubs with its buffalo ice cream, mozzarella and Gouda cheese, which is cured in the HSB beer and served in their burgers.

It produces a range of classic and unusual ice cream flavours including earl grey.

The farm’s black pudding is on the James Martin breakfast menu on Virgin Trains and its sparkling wine recently won a Gold Award at the Independent English Wine Awards.

The wine is a best-selling premium English wine at Fortnum and Masons.

This summer Laverstoke will be releasing its 2013 white sparking and rose wine.