Opened earlier this month, Stroud Times visited farmers Jenny and John Percival who describe their innovative operation as ‘farming with a conscience’.
The milk is pasteurised on-farm, non-homogenised, and free-range from the herd of dairy shorthorns’ cattle who graze in the fields for 180 days and 120 nights of the year.
Jenny explained: “We are passionate about selling our free-range, non homogenised milk to the local community. We gently pasteurise the milk at a lower temperature for a longer period which retains the flavour.”
The cows’ carbon footprint means the milk only travels 100 paces and reaches the vending machine within 24 hours.
If you like your milk to be spiced up you can add one of 10 milkshake flavours, with chocolate the popular choice.
Stonehouse Milk will also donate five pence from each bottle to charity, with Friends of Leonard Stanley the current beneficiaries.
“We feel that free-range milk gives the buyer the opportunity to shop with a conscience, some supermarket milk is from cows that are housed all year,” added Jenny.
The Stonehouse Milk machine is open daily from 6am to 10pm.
A litre of milk costs £1.25 a litre, and reusable branded glass bottles are also sold on-site for £1 for half-litre bottle and £2 for a litre bottle,
On Saturday, February 19, in addition to milk, brownies will be available too, from 10am – 2pm, courtesy of SRG catering.
The farm is just off Horsemarling Lane, GL10 3BT.
