Returnable bottleMilk in glass bottles
One litre, pasteurised on the farm the morning it is bottled
$1.90
Milk from our own herd, bottled on the farm
Meadowbank Dairy milks ninety cows twice a day, pasteurises the milk in its own dairy and bottles it the same morning. Yoghurt, butter and cheese are made a few steps from the parlour. Order for doorstep delivery, call at the farm shop, or come and watch the afternoon milking.
90 cowsmilked at dawn, pasteurised and bottled the same morning
- Cows out on grass from spring to autumn
- Every bottle pasteurised on the farm
- On your doorstep before 07:30
- Farm shop open six days
From the dairy this week
Everything here is made from our own cows' milk. Order by 18:00 for the next morning's round, or collect from the farm shop.
Returnable bottle
Set yoghurt
A 500 g pot, set in the pot so it stays thick and gently sharp
$3.40
Made hereFarmhouse hard cheese
A 250 g piece cut from the wheel and wrapped in waxed paper
$6.80
Little white soft cheese
A young cheese with a white rind, ready in about five weeks
$7.20
Farmhouse butter
Churned from our Jersey cream, a 250 g block
$4.10
A whole cheese or a party board
A whole wheel for a wedding, or a board for a party, cut and labelled
Price on enquiry
EnquireThe delivery fee for your round is added at checkout. Rinse the empty bottles and leave them out: the driver takes them back on the next round.
Delivery rounds
Milk leaves the dairy in chilled crates and reaches doorsteps before 07:30. Orders close at 18:00 the evening before your round.
| Round | Delivery mornings | Fee per delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Town centre and the north side | Monday, Wednesday and Friday | $1.50 |
| Villages along the valley | Tuesday and Saturday | $2.00 |
| Farms and homes off the main roads | Saturday | $3.00 |
| Cafés, schools and offices | Weekday mornings, agreed with you | Quoted with the order |
| Collection from the farm shop | Any day the shop is open | No fee |
Going away? Ring the dairy by 18:00 and the round skips your door until you ask for it to start again.
Ninety cows and the fields that feed them
The herd is mostly black and white Friesians, with a dozen brown Jerseys whose richer milk goes into the butter and cheese. From spring to autumn the cows graze the river meadows and walk in to the parlour twice a day, and in winter they live in open sided barns bedded with straw.
Hay and silage come from our own fields. A vet visits every month, and the herd has a written health plan that the vet and the family review together each year.
- Milked at 05:00 and 16:00
- Grazing the river meadows from spring to autumn
- Monthly vet visits and a written herd health plan
From the parlour to your doorstep
Every litre follows the same short route, and all of it happens on the farm.
Milking
Each cow is milked in the parlour, and the milk runs through closed pipes straight to the cooling tank.
Cooling
The milk is chilled within minutes and stays cold in a stainless tank until the dairy is ready for it.
Pasteurising
It is heated just long enough to make it safe, then cooled again quickly so it keeps its fresh taste.
Bottling and the round
Bottles are filled, capped and dated, then leave in chilled crates on the next morning's round.
Farm visits
Visits run from April to October and are booked ahead, so one of the family can walk round with you. Wear boots or closed shoes, step through the boot dip at the yard gate, and wash your hands at the sinks by the barn before anyone eats.
The afternoon milking
Watch from the viewing gallery as the cows come in, and follow the milk from the parlour to the tank. About an hour.
A person$8
The calf barn and the dairy
Meet the calves over the rails, then look into the cheese room through its window. About ninety minutes.
A person$10
School and group visits
A route planned with the teacher or leader, with hand washing built into every stop. For groups of 10 to 30.
A childfrom $5
Children stay beside an adult the whole time, above all near the animals, the slurry store and the pond, which are fenced but deep. Please leave dogs at home.
Around the farm
Milking, calving, cheesemaking and the morning round, photographed through the year.
From doorsteps and the farm shop (example reviews)
Milk arrives before the kettle goes on, and the cream on top of the whole milk has become a small battle at breakfast. The rinsed bottles go out and come back full.
A beautifully run school visit. Hands were washed at every stop, the children were kept together at the calf barn, and all of them could explain where milk comes from by the end.
A whole mature cheese for the wedding, cut, labelled and taken to the venue the morning before, with a note on how long to leave it out before serving.
Questions from customers and visitors
Is your milk pasteurised?
Yes. Every bottle, pot and cheese we sell is made from milk pasteurised in our own dairy. Rules on selling raw milk differ from country to country, and we do not sell it.
How long does the milk keep?
Keep it in the fridge and use it by the date on the cap. Once a bottle is open, drink it within a few days. The whole milk is not homogenised, so give it a gentle turn or enjoy the cream on top.
What happens to the glass bottles?
Rinse them and leave them where your milk is delivered. The driver collects them on the next round, and they are washed and sterilised in the dairy before they are filled again.
Is the cheese suitable for vegetarians?
The soft white cheese is made with a vegetarian rennet. The hard cheese uses traditional animal rennet, and the label on every piece says which one was used.
Can we visit without booking?
The farm shop needs no booking. Milking and calf barn visits are booked ahead, so someone can walk round with you and each group stays small.
Can a café or office take a weekly order?
It can, on the weekday rounds, with milk in returnable crates. Tell us roughly how many litres the kitchen uses each week through the form below, and we reply with a price.
Plan a visit or a larger order
Say which day suits you and how many are coming, or what an event needs from the dairy. Expect an answer within a working day, with a time for a visit or a price for an order.
- Visits from April to October
- Boots or closed shoes, please
- Payment arranged directly with the dairy
Find the farm
The farm shop sits beside the dairy at the end of the lane, past the river bridge.
The dairy office
On the valley road, ten minutes from town, with rounds up to 20 km away
Farm shop hours
| Tuesday to Saturday | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
| Monday | Shop closed, rounds only |
Getting here
Ten minutes from town on the valley road, signed from the river bridge. Park in the yard, keep to the marked path, and leave every gate as you find it.