Let's Hear it For The Cows

Hand milking a cow is one of the world’s great lost arts, but it’s probably fair to say few miss it. We love tradition and would never compromise on craft but sometimes technology really is our friend. Just consider the numbers: in our grandmother Ivy’s day, it was said there were more cows in Somerset than people. That may have changed but we’re certainly keeping our end up. Dairy-farming is as much a part of our lives and our family history as cheesemaking. Somerset, and the Cheddar Gorge in particular, is the dairy capital of England for good reason. As its says on our packs, it starts with the warm, wet weather of this part of the world, which travels up the gorge and gives us the lushest grass you’ll find. The best grass helps our cows produce outstanding milk, which naturally helps us make the best cheese and butter. In the days of our grandmother Ivy and grandfather Tom, everything was done by hand – and that included milking. The smock in the picture above doesn’t quite date back to Tom’s time but it wouldn’t have been very different to the ones his team wore. Look closely and you can see that the pockets are designated for Udder Cloth (used to clean the cow’s udders before milking) and Cap.

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Milking by hand was a skilled job, but it was tough on the wrists and on the back. Now that it’s done by machines, the smock and milking stool we have are items from our family history. There’s still plenty to do about the farm, so it’s unlikely that any of us at Ivy’s long for the days of milking, but we keep these items to remind us of the importance of the craft and of the people who started it all.