Tips For Using Raw Milk
Our raw milk is a very different product to the pasteurised, homogenised milk you can buy in a supermarket. It will be very fresh, as nature intended and direct from the farm. Its taste will be pure. The milk will be bottled as fresh as possible, and should remain fresh for 7 days (3-4 days once opened). However, in the summer months it can be a challenge to keep your raw milk fresh, and prevent it from souring too soon.
Tips on how to really enjoy your raw milk
We advise our doorstep delivery customers to leave out a coolbox for our milkman, if you are not at home.
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If buying at one of our markets, be wary of spending too long outside carrying around your raw milk. An insulated coolbag/picnic bag would come in very handy!
Put your milk immediately into a fridge, and keep below 4C. Remember raw milk has not been pasteurised and should be kept cold. The back of the bottom shelf is the coldest part of the fridge, so this spot is best reserved for your raw milk - as opposed to the door, which is the warmest part of the fridge.
If you have more milk than you will use in the first three or four days of receiving your milk, we suggest that you freeze the surplus milk so that you have fresh milk later on in the week. Freezing does not affect the milk quality, but do allow room for it to expand.
Raw milk is not homogenised. Therefore, if left overnight in the fridge, the cream will rise to the top. In the morning, you will notice a cream line, the creamy top part of the bottle is fantastic with cereals in the morning, and aromatic coffee. The bottom part of the bottle would be similar to semi - skimmed milk, as most of the cream has risen to the top of the bottle. This is great for drinking whole, making milk shakes, and cups of tea.
If you wish to disperse the cream evenly in the milk, then the bottle will need to be shaken before use.
20 ways to use sour raw milk
If your raw milk does end up souring, don't throw it away! Raw milk doesn't spoil the same way pasteurised milk does; soured raw milk is still perfectly safe and beneficial to consume. Here are a few ways to do so:
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Very important: The following ideas are only to be used with RAW MILK that has soured. DO NOT attempt to use soured pasteurised milk – it is NOT the same!
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Soured milk makes the best scones, fruit, plain or cheese. They will be light and fluffy and absolutely delicious.
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Add it to yeast breads, rolls or sourdoughs for depth of flavour.
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Make dozens of yummy muffins in a multitude of flavours.
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Make Cottage Cheese (recipe here).
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Make Courgette or Banana bread.
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Use it as a base for your smoothies.
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Makes delicious mouth-watering pancakes and waffles
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Curds and Whey (recipe here)
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Use it as the base for a homemade marinade.
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Use it to make buttermilk biscuits or homemade cookies.
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Try baking ‘Gemma’s Chocolate Stem Ginger & Milk Skin Mini Loaves’ (recipe here)
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Add it to various nourishing homemade soups.
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Soak chicken or fish in sour milk to help tenderise the meat.
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Use it as a substitute for recipes that call for buttermilk, yoghurt, or sour cream.
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Use to make your own soft cheese, we have recipes on our website for ‘Faye & Paulo’s Fresh Cheese’ and ‘Andy’s Camembert’ all of which are delicious.
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Feed it to your chickens, pigs, or dogs, it is really good for them too.
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Dilute it with water and add to your garden, especially tomato plants.
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Add it to your bath – add some essential oils if you don’t care for the smell, you will feel like Cleopatra!
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Use to soak grains, particularly Kefir, for instructions go here
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Add to your smoothies for a probiotic boost
So, next time you end up with a pint or two of sour milk, don't pour it down the drain - put it to good use instead!