Making a splash: demand for raw and ‘brewed’ milk growing in UK
Farmers and delivery firms launch new options for those seeking alternative to traditionally pasteurised productRaw milk has long been popular, as well as controversial, in the US.While health authorities warn it can carry harmful bacteria, supporters argue it is more natural, and it has also become tied to anti-government and “natural living” movements.In the UK, it is now gaining popularity, particularly among younger consumers, farmers say, as a less processed option, with new products launching to meet demand.Raw milk comes straight from the cow (or sheep or goat) and has not been pasteurised, the process of heating liquids to eliminate harmful pathogens and make them safe to drink.Because it does not undergo this heat treatment, the Food Standards Agency warns that raw milk can cause food poisoning, posing particular risks to pregnant women, young children and people with weakened immune systems.
With more customers asking for raw milk, the Modern Milkman – a UK-based delivery company – has launched what it calls “brewed milk” this month, sourced from Mossgiel Organic Dairy in Ayrshire.Because raw milk sales are tightly regulated in the UK, the company has positioned this as an alternative.It is priced at £2.80 for a one-litre glass bottle.Bryce Cunningham, managing director of Mossgiel Organic Dairy, said: “People are looking for flavour, transparency and something that feels closer to the farm.
We cannot sell fully raw milk widely in the UK, so brewed milk is our answer to consumer curiosity,It makes fantastic coffee and incredibly rich porridge,”Jenny Thomason, UK head of commercial at Modern Milkman, said: “We’re seeing consistent demand from our customers asking about raw milk, and there’s a growing curiosity around where food comes from and how much is processed,“Because raw milk is so tightly regulated in the UK, we set out to find the closest possible alternative that still meets the highest safety standards,”Raw milk in the UK can only be sold directly to consumers by registered producers – such as at farms, farmers’ markets or through delivery rounds – and it is banned entirely in Scotland.
Producers must meet strict hygiene standards, undergo regular inspections and testing, and include clear health warnings,Mossgiel’s “brewed milk” uses a lower-temperature pasteurisation process, heating milk to 68C for five minutes, which the company says uses about 90% less energy than conventional methods,The result, it claims, is a product that retains more flavour while still meeting safety requirements,Farmers are also reporting a steady rise in raw milk sales,Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk has seen a 32% increase in raw milk sales year on year.
“It’s our most popular online product by quite some margin, and the same is true in our two local farm shops,” said Johnny Crickmore from Fen Farm.He attributed the rise to “the growing health and fitness trend the UK has seen post-pandemic”.“Younger people are swapping pubs for gyms, and they want the contents of their fridge to reflect their lifestyle,” he said, adding that it also reflects a wider move away from ultra-processed foods.“Raw milk is in its natural state, straight from the cow and full of goodness.”
Two more Reform local election candidates accused of offensive posts
Reform UK’s checks on candidates are “clearly not fit for purpose”, Labour has said after two more candidates in May’s local elections were accused of making offensive or potentially racist social media posts.Meanwhile, it emerged that Restore Britain, the party set up by the MP Rupert Lowe after he left Reform, appeared to have accepted a donation from someone who has called publicly on social media for “another Hitler” to come to power.Reform has faced a series of controversies about some of its candidates in the local elections in England on 7 May, as well as some people standing for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, despite Nigel Farage saying the party had greatly improved its vetting.Images of Facebook posts by Alan Stay, a candidate for Reform in the Isle of Wight, show he shared racist and sexist messages, including one that repeatedly used an explicitly racist epithet, arguing that it was not a harmful word. The post was made in response to a news story about a DJ losing their job for playing a record that featured the word
Mandelson scandal is biggest crisis for diplomatic service in decades, says ex-Foreign Office chief
The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said.Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday.Robbins was sacked as permanent secretary of the Foreign Office hours after the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting in January 2025, during the process to appoint him as ambassador to the US.It is said that Robbins knew about Mandelson’s failure to pass the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) assessment but did not forward that information to ministers. Starmer claims he was not made aware of the outcome of the vetting process until this week
‘Pure shock’: how ministers reacted to revelation of Mandelson vetting failure
When the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting checks before being appointed as British ambassador to Washington, members of Keir Starmer’s cabinet, who were scattered around the world on government business, were caught by the same element of surprise.In Washington for the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had just come out of a meeting with the Ukrainian finance minister when she was told the breaking news.“I didn’t know anything about the vetting process,” she told reporters. “I’m the chancellor, I’m not the foreign secretary and I’m not 10 Downing Street, so I can’t give you any more information on that.”David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, was on a military flight back from the Middle East when he was summoned to the cockpit by the captain who told him that No 10 needed to speak to him over the radio
Green MP: Labour caricatures working-class people over greyhound racing
Labour is “offensively caricaturing” working-class people by saying they do not want a greyhound racing ban in England, the Green party MP Hannah Spencer has said.The sport has traditionally been associated with working-class culture and has historically been popular in so-called red wall areas, which Labour insiders suggest is part of the reason why there are no plans for England to follow bans announced last month in Scotland and Wales.The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said in parliament on Thursday that the gambling industry “brings joy to a lot of people”. She said: “The industry as a whole brings positive benefits to the United Kingdom.”Spencer, who won the Gorton and Denton byelection in February and has four rescue greyhounds, said: “Lisa Nandy just continuously offends people by saying that working-class people don’t care about dogs or each other
‘It’s a twilight zone’: Iran war casts deep shadows over IMF gathering in Washington
The most severe energy shock since the 1970s, the risk of a global recession and households everywhere stomaching a renewed surge in the cost of living – hitting the most vulnerable hardest.In a sweltering hot Washington DC this week, the message at the International Monetary Fund meetings was chilling: things had been looking up for living standards around the world. But then came the Iran war.“Some countries are in panic,” said the fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, addressing the finance ministers and central bank bosses in town for the IMF and World Bank spring meetings. “The sooner it [the Iran war] ends, the better for everybody
Keir Starmer faces ‘judgment day’ as Mandelson vetting debacle grows
Keir Starmer’s claim he was “staggered” not to have been told of Peter Mandelson’s vetting failure has provoked incredulity across Westminster and accusations that he sacked a senior civil servant to save his premiership.Senior government figures said the prime minister faced “judgment day” next week when Olly Robbins, who is understood to be furious at being forced to quit the Foreign Office, is expected to appear before a powerful committee of MPs.With Starmer’s position remaining precarious ahead of a statement he intends to make to MPs on Monday, the Guardian revealed on Friday that Starmer was left in the dark about information relating to Mandelson’s security vetting failure by two other top civil servants.The cabinet secretary, Antonia Romeo, and Catherine Little, the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary, became aware of the situation last month.Government sources denied the two officials had been “sitting on” the knowledge that UK Security Vetting (UKSV) had advised that Mandelson should be denied clearance to become the UK’s ambassador to the US
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