A flush of milk

TALI EICHNER

In the last month with many calves born and the cows going out to pasture the change in the milk is quite stark. Not only are the herd giving us over double the daily quantity of a couple of months ago, but the qualities of the milk are quite different. The milk is thicker, with more cream and a savoury note that balances the natural sweetness of the milk. As I write, I’m drinking a glass of this morning’s milk and it’s visible in the way it clings to the sides of the glass. It’s difficult to find the language to describe the subtle characteristics of milk, which is inherently subjective, so forgive the clumsiness of the wording here. There’s a quality to milk from recently calved cows that I can only describe as being more coherent. I wonder whether this is an expression of the fact that later in their lactation cycle the milk contains more free fatty acids. When I watch how fast the calves grow in their first months entirely on milk, it makes sense that this is when it seems most rich.

Don’t get me wrong, happy as I am that the spring milk has arrived, I don’t want to give them impression that winter milk is somehow less than. Even though they are paler in colour, often the most flavoursome wheels of Cheddar are made with winter milk. Due to the drought last year we had to buy in hay to feed the cows over winter along with the silage and hay we had produced on the farm.  This hay was much needed and appreciated, however it is lower in protein, which was reflected in having lower milk levels (our breeds don’t ‘milk off their backs’ meaning they only make milk where their nutrient intake is more than they need for themselves). I enjoy finding the milk tasting quite sweet when the cows are eating hay.

So, with this flush of milk, we have just made our first wheels of Cheddar, Aged & Crumbly and Dutchman of the season (including some Dutchman with bird’s-eye chillies, ready in a few weeks), and we’ve been making over double the amount of cream we’ve been able to in recent months. In other good news, we have just received planning permission for our shop and dairy expansion! This seems especially exciting at the moment when we have so much milk to play with; I am constantly day-dreaming about the possibilities of having dedicated rooms for cheese and yoghurt making. This also brings us one step closer to being able to wash and re-use glass containers for the yoghurt and cream as well as milk bottles. And this past year has made it clearer than ever the huge difference a little more space in the shop could make. We have a lot of work to do now in planning the specifics and materials, but this is where the fun begins!