I have spent the last week writing a chapter for my book solely dedicated to milk – that cold and creamy, refreshing and smooth, velvety, sweet, bovine goodness. I suppose it is a bit of penance for giving banana ‘nice cream’ such high marks in the previous days.

Since milk is essentially the backbone of this family farm, it has become a central part of my life. We are steeped in many moons of milk history. Dairy cows have been milked here since the

1800s and there was a time when a cart carried the milk to the local creamery every day.

Nowadays, there is always a jug of raw milk in the fridge and our little boy won’t touch porridge unless is has farm milk and honey mixed into it. He says milk from the store “doesn’t taste like

milk.” And yes, he was more than a bit surprised when I told him that most of the milk from the farm becomes store milk after the milk lorry makes its collection.

I am delighted that Geoffrey has had the opportunity to be reared on so many wholesome, homegrown foods.Not sure if that would be the case if we

lived in urban America.

I have had my own fun experiments with milk over the years. Learning traditional dairy skills, like making country butter, ice cream or farmer cheese, or getting a bit more creative by baking buttermilk pie and making milk ‘jam’.

A gill of fresh milk sure goes a long way. One of my favourite cultured milk creations is kefir. Kefir is similar to yoghurt, but the taste is more tart and while it’s quite thick it’s more of a drink than something you eat out of a bowl.

Kefir also contains beneficial yeast as well as those good bacteria that we need in our digestive system. If you can tolerate dairy, kefir is a great probiotic to incorporate into your diet.

But, the best bit is that it is incredibly easy to make at home.

Kefir

Makes about half a litre

Milk

Kefir grains*

  • Put your kefir grains into a clean glass jar. I typically use two to three tablespoons of grains for about two to twoand a half cups of milk.

  • Add your milk (can be raw or full-fat milk from the store, but not ultrapasteurised)

  • Cover with a cloth, or something breathable, and secure the cloth with

    string/rubber band.

  • Leave the jar out at room temperature for about 24 hours. If it’s particularly cold in your kitchen, keep the jar in the warmest spot you can find.

  • Check the kefir after 24 hours. It should be thickened and starting to separate into curds and whey.

  • When your kefir is finished, stir it up, and then pour into a strainer over another clean jar.

  • Gently stir the kefir to encourage it to move through the strainer. When you’re finished, all your kefir will be in the jar while your grains will be left in the strainer.

  • Put the grains into a new container and add more milk to start a new batch of kefir.

  • Store your finished kefir in the fridge.

  • Drink kefir straight or use it in a fruit smoothie for a sweeter taste, like we do.

    • *People who regularly make kefir often have extra grains to share with other locals. If you don’t know anyone with grains, most natural food shops will have them.