The grass fed and raw dairy supplier thread

I emailed them too to find out if all the cheeses are raw milk based, I'm assuming they are. The traditional farmhouse cheddar which seems to be their speciality is definitely unpasteurised. I think I'll get an order in too, getting a bit low on cheese, I'm down to my last kg.
 
Got a reply from Times Past today, only their traditional Cheddars including the Truckles are made with raw milk, all the other cheeses are made from pasteurised milk. Ordered a half Truckle (1kg). Must admit I like the name Truckle!:p
 
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The smoked Cheddar is lovely.

The unpasturised traditional cheddar is odd. I don't know if all unpasturised ones taste/texture like this. Or just this one.
It's much softer, creamier. And has a blue cheese undertone. Not sure I'm a fan tbh.
 
Bear said:
Would be interested in raw milk for my cheese making but looking at the prices, they are crazy considering it should be less hassle for them.
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Fyi,

I asked my father-in-law dairy farmer recently as to why they don't sell unprocessed milk (except to processing plants, obviously) even though we drink it and its fine. He said its because it needs to be licensed to do so, and part of the licensing involves much tighter regulations and controls across the production chain from feed, to testing, to extraction, to storage, to selling etc. All these extra controls generate additional costs and the market for unprocessed milk is relatively small so it lacks economic viability.

It is important to point out, the raw milk we drink here is NOT in any way unsafe, in fact the EU regulations are quite relaxed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_milk
According to the regulations in the European Union all raw milk products are "legal" and considered "safe for human consumption", and can be sold without any price, variety or quantity restrictions. However, the European countries are free to add certain requirements, usually special sanitary regulations and frequent quality tests (at least once per month) are mandatory.[10]
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However thanks to a historical health scare, overzealous media coverage, public histeria and political meddling, the current UK policy is extremely restrictive:

a) the milk may only be sold direct to consumers by registered milk production holdings (at the farm gate or in a farmhouse catering operation) or through milk roundsmen. Sales through other outlets have been banned since 1985 (although sales by the farmer at farmers markets are allowed);

b) the supplying animals must be from a herd that is officially tuberculosis free, and either brucellosis free or officially brucellosis free;

c) the production holding, milking premises and dairy, must comply with hygiene rules;

d) the milk must bear the appropriate health warning;

e) compliance with a) to d) above is monitored by inspections twice a year; and

f) the milk is sampled and tested quarterly under the control of the Agency to monitor compliance with standards for total bacterial count and coliforms.
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Primary issues highlighted in bold, illegal to sell in shops, arbitrary non-specific 'hygiene rules', and a compulsory label to inform customers the product might kill them.

So in answer to your question, its expensive because its controlled, and its controlled because, well, in the words of Men in Black

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.
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Glaucus said:
The smoked Cheddar is lovely.

The unpasturised traditional cheddar is odd. I don't know if all unpasturised ones taste/texture like this. Or just this one.
It's much softer, creamier. And has a blue cheese undertone. Not sure I'm a fan tbh.
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I received some of the Traditional Truckle Cheddar today aswell, I really like it (good job 'cos I've got a kilo of the stuff!:eek:) it's got that lovely natural, nutty taste that you seem to lose with pasteurised milk cheddars, granted this isn't a particularly strong flavour but at the risk of sounding snobbish it's got a lot of undertones and complexity to the flavour which is typical of unpasteurised cheeses in general from the variety I've tasted. If you're after a tangier cheddar made from raw milk you could try Isle Of Mull.

It might just be because you're not used to the flavour of unpasteurised milk cheese, another one which is strong/tangy is Keen's cheddar made in Somerset from raw milk, it's got a real kick to it compared to the Truckle cheddar. I've eaten loads of different raw milk cheeses over the years, I'll post up some of the others as I remember. One other that springs to mind is Mrs Kirkhams Lancashire, it's moreish to the point where one block is never enough!
 
http://www.fieldandflower.co.uk
Beef
Traditionally, Home Farm has reared Hereford cattle due to their quiet temperament and the quality of their meat. The farm keeps a small suckler herd of cows, which conceive and give birth naturally once a year. Calves run at their mothers’ feet until about eight months of age. Once the cattle are weaned, they are fed solely on grass and forage, grazing in clover-rich pastures all year round.This particular breed is slaughtered at no earlier than 26 months of age, which also ensures very flavoursome beef. The cattle travel to the local abattoir, only minutes away, ensuring a stress-free end of life.

Our beef is dry-aged (hung on the bone) for a minimum of four weeks. This is to ensure a very high level of tenderness. Hanging for this long, in this way, is a technique supermarkets simply cannot match. Attributes of our Hereford beef include high levels of marbling, giving that melt-in-the-mouth sensation, and an abundance of deep, rich flavours developed through a grass and forage diet. Our traditional cattle breed is slow-maturing and thrives on a natural grass and forage diet. Studies have shown that cattle reared in this way produce much higher levels of omega-3 and poly-unsaturated fats than when reared intensively. We therefore take pride in our beef being tasty, tender and fresh.The beef you order from field&flower has been carefully managed to ensure a low carbon footprint. The total distance from our farm to abattoir, and abattoir to butcher is only eight miles.
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Lamb
Our lamb is raised by one farmer and son on a farm in the Mendip hills a few miles away from our butchery in North Somerset. They farm traditional breed lamb that are born and raised outdoor on the hills all year round, feeding on grass and haylage.
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And it looks like they can get me chicken hearts :), I've used these guys many times before and the service is always good. A bit more expensive than the others. But James is very helpful and if you want a particular cut, they can almost certainly supply it.

We use two chicken farmers, one who farms in Radstock who has an extensive free range system where the birds are cared for in small flocks at half of the legal stocking density. They don’t use any artificial fertilisers and are fed on a varied diet of meadow grass, homegrown cereals and locally milled feeds. Our organic chicken farmer raises his birds on the same farm as our butchery and hatches his chicks in the shed next door to us. Here is their website with more info: http://thestorygroup.co.uk/thefood.html
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I can recommend Fordhall, it's my local supplier as they are literally 1-2 miles down the road.

Food is that nice my brother is considering starting a restaurant in the town using their products.
 
Hi everyone, stumbled across this thread yesterday as I am moving back to UK (N.Ire) and will be trying to source the cheapest grass fed meats.
But what I would really like help with is, where to buy the best and cheapest alternative meats that are closest to the ideal grass fed meats. Perhaps which supermarkets are best? I will be scouting around all the local butchers in my area to see where and how their meat is raised and to compare price. I eat paleo 80% of time so a lot of meat to compliment my sporting passions too.
What should I be looking for with my meats? Or what should I be asking my butcher?

Cheers!
 
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