From recent media stories you might think that dairy is to blame for all the bad things happening to our health and the planet. But milk and dairy products, especially from pasture based systems, have been part of our heritage for thousands of years and we’ve not only survived, but thrived on it. People have…
One of the predicted megatrends for the future is the rise in Ethical Living. Passport market research, which is part of Euromonitor International, predicts that increasing attention will be paid to ethics and moral values by food citizens and businesses in the coming years. This means that purchasing decisions will be framed by concerns about…
We’ve seen how Fake News has undermined democracy across the world, because without truth how can we make important decisions based on fact rather than fiction. Fake news is the master of manipulation, and I believe that Fake Food and Fake Farms are just as bad. Every time you see a picture of cows grazing…
Images of cows in lush, green pastures are synonymous with British milk and the seasonal grazing of dairy herds has been practiced by many traditional, family farms for generations. But, this free range farming system is now at risk of being turned into a meaningless label, defined by those who have never got dirt beneath…
We have exciting news, Vacherin the leading sustainable London catering company, will convert all their conventional milk to Pasture Promise free range milk, from 1st August. This is a fantastic coup for us as it shows that more and more people want, not just great tasting milk but, also a clear assurance that it comes…
We are running our ‘Come Back to Milk’ event as part of World Milk Day over the coming weekend, to help people understand how we are restoring the true value of milk from traditional, pasture-based dairy herds. Over the last twelve months we have seen a lot of bad press for milk and dairy,…
In our attempts to win badly needed recognition and value for traditional, family dairy farms, it often feels like we are bound in chains. Changing attitudes to milk is not easy, in a modern day dairy supply chain comprised of so many links, each trying to extract profit along the route from farm to fridge.…
I was very pleased to be quoted in an article by The Times Environment Editor, Ben Webster, on Saturday (10th March 2018), which revealed how meat and milk labels used by food producers and retailers, often hide the fact that food is produced from animals that never go outside. A key driver for me…
Last week, as we kicked off our Coffee & Cows campaign, we met with representatives of Fairtrade UK, who brought Ketra Kyosiimire, from the Ankole Coffee Producers’ Cooperative Union (ACPCU) in Uganda, to a Free Range Dairy farm in Gloucestershire. The ACPCU now represents around 9,000 coffee growers, supplying 17 Fairtrade certified primary cooperatives across…
On my way to where I work I decided to count the number of coffee shops in one street. There was six, a couple of the usual coffee chains but predominately it was the independents coffee shops that had the most outlets, showing that customers are looking for something new and unique, great quality coffee…
How many cows do you see in fields these days? Well, right now probably none, as it’s winter time and most are indoors for food and shelter. But, even in the spring and summer months, the number of dairy cows going out to graze is declining. Less than half the number of dairy herds we…
I was recently reading an article about an interesting initiative in France called “C’est qui le patron?” (Who’s the boss?). Founder of the scheme, Nicolas Cee, set up the label in the autumn of 2016, in an attempt to restore power to the consumer in deciding the value (price) of the food they buy.…
The past year has seen much of the world in turmoil and here in the UK we still face great uncertainty about life in a post-Brexit era. We often feel helpless about things that go on in the world around us; powerless to do anything to put them right. So caught up have we become…
These mini blini-style pancakes can take savoury toppings as well as sweet – notably smoked salmon and sour cream.
One for cheese bread addicts, without the hassle of yeast cookery. So good eaten warm when the little pockets of cheese are gooey, a mélange of Emmental and gruyère, but otherwise Comté or Abondance, and the pecorino could be Parmesan. They will be there on demand for several days thereafter stored in an airtight bag, and will come…
Fondue is a dish that can sink the boat: it is almost impossible to stop dipping into that big pot of molten sin once you start. So coming up with a respectable alternative that didn’t eat up a month’s worth of saturated fat in one sitting has been simmering at the back of my mind throughout the writing…
A recent blog by fellow Free Range Dairy Network director, Carol Lever, cited consumer research by Harris Interactive, which provided a sharp insight into changing attitudes toward milk and dairy, particularly amongst 16 to 24 year olds. 39% of respondents in this age group said they were ditching dairy, due to increasing concerns about its…
When I was in a local supermarket last week, I picked up a carton of Alpro Roasted Almond (unsweetened). I noticed, on the packaging, an image of a white liquid, very much like milk, gushing from a split almond and wondered, could it be milk? I looked carefully at the ingredients listed on the back…
Just recently I came across a new milk label in a supermarket. Well, not a new label exactly, more like an existing label which had two words added to it – ‘free range’. I have since learned that this is the result of dairy giant Arla rebranding its organic milk offer, to help people fully…
I’m delighted to report that Free Range Milk pioneers, Stephenson’s Dairy, have been offered the chance to supply milk to 24 Booths stores in the north west of England, from July 1st. Chris & Steph Stephenson took up the Pasture Promise logo back in May 2015 and switched all of their customers to free range milk.…