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Idyllic Somerset Pastures

The Estate Dairy is a collective of young passionate individuals dedicated to producing and bottling the highest quality milk and cream. We source the richest milk from the Chew Valley, which is located right in the heart of the Bristol countryside. Our milk and cream is produced from our Guernsey cows which gives our milk a unique golden colour and a beautiful rich flavour.

Our herd is farmed sustainably on over 500 acres of idyllic Somerset pastures. We believe in treating our dairy produce with the respect it deserves and close attention is paid to the cow’s nutrition their diet throughout the winter contributes heavily to the flavour of our dairy. Our unique farming system yields a high protein milk that deserves to be as unprocessed as possible and to best preserve out dairy’s goodness our milk and creams are unhomogenised.

Drawing from more than 10 years of research into the complex makeup of milk and how it behaves, the team are devoted to the pursuit of bringing our customers exceptional dairy produce all from traceable single farm gates. Our experience in farming, scientific research and hospitality means that we have an unrivalled perspective on what can be achieved for the specialty culinary industries.

250 pedigree Guernseys

We are incredibly proud to partner with Bickfield Farm who have been dairy farming in the Chew Valley, Somerset since the 1930’s on over 500 acres of pasture. Bickfield Farm specialise in producing high quality milk from their own dairy herd, giving you the reassurance of knowing exactly where your milk and cream is coming from - straight from one single farm gate, guaranteeing our milk’s provenance and traceability.

Bickfield runs on an intensive “free range” system exposing our herd to as much fresh pasture as possible throughout the summer months which results in a happier and healthier herd and yields a rich golden milk from their herd of 250 pedigree Guernseys.

Bickfield observe the most environmentally supportable farming practices to safeguard the natural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. Together we are highly aware of our responsibility to ensure that our herd have no damaging effects on the environment and we are actively involved in environmental regeneration activities in the Chew Valley area.

Our ethos of using sustainable agricultural methods means producing great dairy products while safekeeping the natural beauty of the countryside and maintaining a healthy habitat for wildlife.

High protein Guernsey milk

The main constituents of milk are water, fat, sugar and proteins. Proteins are the main surface active agents that make the milk “foamable” and consist of two different groups. These are caseins which are clustered in large micelles - the material in milk that makes cheese. The other group are whey proteins which are smaller globular single molecules. Due to their small size, they are the main agents that result in milk’s foamy texture. It is because of these proteins gathering in the air milk surface that micro bubbles are formed and able to stabalise. In sensory terms, fat is also important to the taste of milk. Because fat has a highly destabilising effect on air bubbles, high fat milk does however create less foam than low fat milks. It does not follow that high fat foam is not good nor that it is impossible to create enough foam,only that high fat foam merely makes a smaller volume of texture foam as compared to low far milk  good foam ratio is still perfectly achievable with a richer milk.

A common example: if you have ever tried to create an egg white meringue with even the slightest amount of yolk, you will see the effect the fat molecules have by inhibiting the creation of foam. Luckily the fat in milk is trapped in big globules surrounded by a membrane which makes it less disruptive to the building of air and texture in liquid. Research carried out by Morten Münchow finds that even small variations in protein concentration can lead to a significant difference in foam quality, therefore we can guarantee a constant protein concentration of 4% - a key level in our milk by blending just the right amount of high protein Guernsey milk to maintain perfect consistency.

The cows’ diet is also essential to the flavour of the milk. Protein is made in the udder of the cow and regulated genetically, the concentration does not depend on what the cow is fed. Conversely, the aroma of the milk is influenced by small molecules that diffuse from the feed and is passively incorporated into the milk secreted by the cow. Working in collaboration with Coffee Minds’ sensory scientist, we have been able to understand the relationship between feed and milk aroma and have developed a specially formulated diet to create a dairy milk that works best with coffee.

The most consistent milk

At The Estate Dairy we match traditional milk making methods with the latest dairy processing technology. Our unhomogenised milk is tested and before its bottled and past our own quality control programme to ensure that we are continually bringing you the best possible and consistent dairy produce. We understand that natural seasonal changes occur with single source herds and we are continually adjusting the cows’ nutrition and our processing to ensure consistency of flavour and foam stability.

Our dairy production team has a wealth of experience; drawing from expertise in milk science and as dairy technologists at world leading dairies. Morten Munchow, one of the founding partners of The Estate Dairy, is a leading dairy scientist and consultant on the best dairy practices. Morten has published papers in the international dairy journal and has been involved in dairy projects across the globe.

With his vast skillset we use laboratory analysis to continually improve on and produce better milk for culinary professionals and consumers. Our work with Morten means assessing every process from the cow to the milk pitcher. Morten has five years extensive research in collaboration with the specialty coffee association of Europe on the complex content of milk and how it reacts with coffee.

Our milk will be released over time in different versions. Combining our industry knowledge and with Morten’s scientific input we can adapt a range of factors to best suit the needs of our customers. All of our milk is tested with a 50\50 ration of light to medium roasted espresso coffee from various London roasters. It is then steamed to a temperature of 50-70 degrees in the dairy just before processing on a Dualit steam arm. Each variable is precisely track and controlled before being passed for distribution.

This is how we ensure the most consistent milk.