Why buy British Dairy?
- Britain’s dairy farmers adhere to some of the highest welfare standards in the world.
- Britain’s cattle passport system means that each animal can be uniquely traced to its dam (mother) and place of birth.
- British milk, cream, cheeses & butter travels less far from farm to shop so has a lower carbon footprint.
- Choosing British milk, cream, cheeses & butter means supporting British farmers whose work helps keep the British countryside the way we want it to look: no cows, sheep and goats: no countryside!
What’s the difference between pasteurised and unpasteurised milk?
Most of the milk on sale has been pasteurised; a heat treatment that kills virtually all bacteria present in the milk without affecting the nutritional value and taste of the milk.
Unpasteurised milk is a living food with a real, albeit delicate, flavour. Also called untreated, raw or Green Top, because of the green foil cap that was used on glass milk bottles, it is possible to buy unpasteurised milk in England and Wales but it is not legal to sell it in Scotland. It must meet bacteria count standards before it can be sold and must carry warnings to advise people that it may contain harmful bacteria as some groups such as pregnant women are advised not to consume it. It is supposed to be sold direct from the producer to the consumer and is usually produced by farmers with small herds and high welfare standards. It is becoming more readily available through farmers’ markets and can be delivered as part of a box scheme.
Whether milk has been pasteurised will influence not just the milk; it also influences the taste of bi-products such as cheese. For example, unpasteurised Cheddar will have far more complex and slightly more variable flavours than Cheddar made from pasteurised milk.
Britain produces more cheese than France
There are over 700 named cheeses produced in the United Kingdom. The flavour of the cheeses depends not just on the process used to make them, but also on whether milking has taken place in the morning or evening and how much grass the cows, goats or sheep have been able to eat.
One of the easiest ways in which to celebrate local and regional food is to enjoy regional cheeses. Many cheeses are protected foods and have been awarded PDO or PGI status.
Ideas for regional cheese boards
- Scotland: Caboc, Dunlop, Dunsyre Blue, Kelsae, Lanark Blue, Orkney Farmhouse
- North West: Beacon Fell Traditional, Lancashire Cheese, Butlers, Cheshire Cheese, Delamere Goats Cheese
- North East: Chevington, Coquetdale, Cotherstone Cheese, Elsdon Goat, Nothumberland Gouda
- Yorkshire: Ribblesdale, Coverdale, Swaledale, Wensleydale
- Midlands: Wensleydale, Capella, Childwickbury, Derby Cheese, Dovedale, Hereford Hops, Innes Goats Cheese, Lincolnshire Poacher, Staffordshire, Stilton
- East of England: Binham Blue, Norfolk White Lady, Rozbert Hard Goats, Suffolk Gold, Walsingham
- Wales: Caerphilly, Caws Cerwyn, Gorau Glas, Lammas
- South West: Bath Cheese, Baydon Hill, Beenleigh Blue, West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese, Cornish Yarg, Curworthy, Dorset Blue Vinney, Double Gloucester, Exmoor Blue, Single Gloucester, Sharpham, Vulscombe, Somerset Brie, Somerset Camembert
We suggest matching your regional cheeses with regional cheese biscuits. Here are a few suggestions:
- Bath Oliver: a crisp biscuit from Somerset that is pale cream in colour and has a neutral, if slightly salty, taste.
- Norfolk Knob: a round rusk with a hollow centre. It is very light and crisp and slightly sweet in flavour.
- Yorkshire Oatcakes: an elongated oval biscuit that is dusted with cream-coloured oatmeal. It has a nutty, oaty and slightly sour taste.
- Dorset Knob: a domed rusk that is a pale golden on top and has a lighter-coloured crumb. It is dry and very crisp with a slightly sweet flavour.
Some useful resources on the web that will help you buy dairy products
Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) http://www.omsco.co.uk/
Specialist Cheeses http://www.specialistcheesemakers.co.uk/