"Raw milk has become a lifeline to farms in Hertfordshire that, without selling it, might otherwise go out of business."
In 1980 there were around 160 dairy herds in Hertfordshire, but today there is less that 10 in the county. The reason for the decline in the UK are economic: because dairy farmers cannot make a living with a low farm gate price or being paid less than the cost of production per litre.
Fortunately the Raw Milk revolution have given English dairy farmers an avenue to diversify in order to survive and some of them seem to thrive. There are currently three raw milk dairies in Hertfordshire (that we know of).
Dawlicious
Claire Daw started selling ice-cream from her family's Hertford Heath dairy farm when she was 19 years old instead of going off to university. She called her business Dawlicious Ice Cream. Now the Daw family have installed a raw milk self-service vending machine on the farm and they are getting new customers every day with their unpasteurised Jersey milk. People love the taste of the creamy milk from the 100% grass-fed herd. It reminds them of the milk they use to drink many years ago.
The Dawlicious raw milk vending machine at the farm store.
Empty bottles for the self service milk dispenser.
Video: "Dawlicious" Ice Cream and RAW MILK in Hertford, England. Stopped there on my way to Heathrow. So easy to find raw milk suppliers in England - all are dotted on a Google map @ http://rawmilk.simkin.co.uk/
Meadow Hay dairy
Raw Milk producers in England are subject to strict legislation and higher hygiene standards than those producing conventional milk. The Food Standards Agency carries out quarterly inspections on the facilities and milking procedures and they also take away milk samples to test the quality and cleanliness. They monitor compliance with standards for total bacterial counts and coliforms. There are many protocols to follow to legally produce raw milk, some of those details can be studied on Meadow Hay dairy's website.
Wayside Farm
Another raw milk dairy in Hertfordshire is Charlie Wray's Wayside Farm in Kings Langley and this farm has a lot of history that their website can tell you about. They also have great support and interaction with the community, who value their raw milk and their farmer.
Related Articles:
Hertfordshire: Ahead of the Raw Milk trend
Young entrepreneur's business is simply Dawlicious
Hertford Heath teen puts university on hold to start ice cream business
Facing the future of dairy farming
See where your daily pinta comes from
Wayside Farm - Dairy farm secures future with new dispensing machine
