A COUPLE have become the first in the Forest area to offer ‘raw’ milk from their farm. 

The milk at Chase Farm, Tidenham, goes straight from the cow into a bulk tank and then bottle without being heat-treated or skimmed. 

Farmers Lisa and Sam Bennett say there has been a lot of demand for the milk which has to be sent regularly to a laboratory for testing to ensure it is safe to drink. 

Lisa said: “Raw milk comes from the cow into the bulk tank and into the bottle, so it is chilled and processed through the parlour – it isn’t heat-treated or skimmed. 

“There are lots of regulations behind it and you have to apply for a licence to sell it which is based on regular laboratory tests to ensure there are no harmful pathogens and that your bacteria levels are safe. 

“We do that every two weeks and if it wasn’t within that limit, then we wouldn’t be selling raw milk and that is governed by the Food Standards Agency and environmental health. 

“A lot of people use it for health benefits – it is as it comes and it contains a lot of good bacteria and probiotics and enzymes that help with digestion,” said Lisa. 

“There are people in the Forest and Chepstow who are travelling quite a long way to get raw milk at the moment.

“Before us you would have to go towards Abergavenny, Iron Acton or Ledbury.” 

The milk is sold in a self-service machine at the farm, which is located just off the St Briavels to Chepstow Road. 

The Bennetts have been farming at Tidenham since December 2016 and have 180 cows. 

Mr Bennett comes from a farming family who had about 70 cows at St Briavels Common.