West Country milk for custard and rice pudding

One of the Red Tractor assured farms we source milk from is run by the Blee family. They’ve milked cows on their 220-acre farm at Lower Trenower on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula since 1945. Their herd of Holstein-Fresians provide milk to clotted cream supplier Rodda’s where the cream is separated before the remaining skimmed milk is transferred to our creamery in Lifton, Devon, to be used in Ambrosia custard and rice pudding.

The cows are grazed for eight to nine months of the year and the family works closely with an agronomist – an expert in soil management – to keep the grass healthy and rich in nutrients. The Blees operate a low-stress system, which means the cows all calf during the late summer and autumn, are milked through the winter and spring and then milking times are reduced over the summer.