What is raw milk?
Raw milk is bottled directly from the tank, undergoing no form of pasteurisation. The sale of raw milk is tightly regulated in England, with limited routes of legal distribution. For example, raw milk may only be sold directly at the farm gate, by farmers at registered farmers’ markets, by distributors using a vehicle as a shop such as a milk round, direct online sales, or vending machines at the farm. It’s illegal to sell raw milk in any other setting. In all instances, raw milk must be labelled with a health warning advising of the risk of bacterial consumption, particularly for vulnerable individuals such as children, pregnant women and the elderly
Can I purchase raw milk from Chiddingstone Dairy?
Given this regulation, at Chiddingstone Dairy we currently choose not to sell raw milk as we want our customers to feel safe consuming and sharing our milk with the whole family.
What is pasteurised milk?
All milk sold in the chiller aisle of UK retail environments is pasteurised. Pasteurisation was invented by French Scientist Louis Pasteur during the nineteenth century. He discovered that heating milk to a high temperature and then quickly cooling it before packaging eliminates any harmful bacteria, making it safe to drink and also helps to prolong its shelf life.
More specifically, the process of pasteurisation typically involves heating milk to 72°C for at least 15 seconds (and no more than 25 seconds).The milk is then cooled very quickly to less than 3°C, before being bottled.
Can I purchase pasteurised milk from Chiddingstone Dairy?
All milk sold at Chiddingstone Diary is pasteurised and meets the UK’s stringent food safety standards.
What is UHT milk?
UHT (Ultra Heat Temperature) is the milk you find away from the refrigerator aisle, typically next to your canned goods in the supermarket. UHT milk has been heated to double the temperature of pasteurised milk, reaching 140C for 3 seconds before being rapidly cooled and then packaged. The high heat kills all bacteria and makes the milk nearly sterile (as long as it is correctly packaged), therefore having a highly extended shelf life of many months without the need for refrigeration. This ultra-high temperature processing does affect the taste, texture and colour of the milk – you may find that it appears whiter and tastes sweeter than it’s pasteurised counterpart. That’s because the intense heat changes the milk’s proteins, generating what is called the Maillard Reaction between the proteins and sugar that naturally occur in milk. This is the same reaction which creates the flavours of caramel, browned toast, and bacon (among others).
UHT is very popular in countries with hotter climates, to ensure longer shelf life, and can be handy to have in the back of the cupboard in case you run out of the fresh stuff.
Can I purchase UHT milk from Chiddingstone Dairy?
At Chiddingstone Dairy, our focus is on fresh milk so we currently do not range UHT products.