About Us
Hello and welcome to the Barkhouse Farm Dairy website, we are set in the beautiful rolling hills of Shelley, a Yorkshire village on the edge of the Pennines,
close to the well known landmark of Emley Moor Mast. Barkhouse Farm Dairy is a family run farming business supplying milk and cream to the local community for over 40 years.
Our Dairy cattle are Meuse Rhine Issel (MRI) and are renowned for the quality of their milk production and taste.
Our range of products includes our delicious dairy ice cream which is made on the farm using our own milk and cream.
We pride ourselves on having good old fashioned farming values which include well cared for animals and great tasting products....
Doorstep Delivery
What could be better than really fresh, great tasting, quality dairy products delivered direct from the cow within hours straight to your doorstep by our local milk men?
Check our doorstep delivery areas by clicking on the milk deliveries section below.
Business Deliveries
If you'd like to join the growing numbers of businesses that stock and serve Barkhouse Farm Dairy products phone 01484 602555 and speak to us about business deliveries.
We pride ourselves on having good old fashioned farming values, and we work very hard to ensure both our animals and products are of the highest quality.
Both our Farm and Dairy are Red Tractor approved and we are also a member of the Pasture Promise Scheme.
Barkhouse farm is an open farm and customers are welcome to come and watch the cows being milked daily. In our Tearoom our top-class chefs cook delicious food using fresh local ingredients from
local suppliers wherever possible.
Products
Milk
Our milk is pure and simple and processed in our own purpose built dairy before it quickly reaches our customers.
The majority of our milk is packaged in environmentally friendly and re-useable glass bottles and is delivered directly to customers doorsteps by reliable and friendly milk men (and ladies)...
Cream
Our cream is pure and simple with no added stabilizers. We produce single, whipping and double cream, in a variety of sizes from 250ml to 2litre cartons.
We supply some of our leading local restaurants, it is also sold to the public through our tea rooms and the milk men.
Ice cream
Our 'Dearne Lea' ice cream is smooth, rich and creamy it is made with our own milk and cream and is available in several flavours, including creamy dairy, vanilla,
strawberry, raspberry, peach and mango, chocolate, chocolate and orange, honeycomb, rum and raisin, toffee, toffee and banana, mint and chocolate chip and our own traditional recipe brown bread.
| Silver top | Full milk pasteurised (with cream on the top – just how it should be!) |
| Red and silver striped top | Pasteurised semi–skimmed (1.7% fat) |
| Blue top | Skimmed (virtually fat free) |
| Red top | Homogenised full cream milk |
We also supply our milk in a variety of cartons ranging in size from 250ml to 2 litres.
Cows
Why do we use Meuse Rhine Issel (MRI) cattle?
Higher milk quality
Protein production approaching 4%
The right type of protein - high Kappa Casein-B for cheese making
Fat production over 4%
Longevity
Healthy cows, with good disease resistance and strong legs and feet.
Proved in all UK conditions
MRIs are being kept in all parts of the UK, from the Welsh mountains to the Somerset wetlands, and their owners are all delighted with them.
History of the Meuse Rhine Issel breed
This hardy and productive breed originates in the Netherlands and Germany. In the Netherlands, it was developed in the region of the three rivers from which it gets its name.
In Germany it comes from the regions of Westfalia, Rhineland and Schleswig Holstein, and is known there as the Rotbunt.
The Dutch Herdbook was formed in 1874 and the German Breed Societies in 1900. They were run as one breeding area across the border until 1914.
During the 1920s, the Dutch bull 'Sjoerd 1 925' was used extensively in the Rhineland area and played a large part in establishing a good M.R.I. type there.
Between 1920 and 1950, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Denmark founded their own Red & White Dual Purpose breeds, based on the Dutch and German stock.
M.R.I. cattle were first imported into the U.K. and Ireland in the early 1970s. Current milk pricing structures ensure a huge demand for this extremely profitable breed, where yields of 8,000 to 9,000kgs at 4.0%
protein are not uncommon.
Grass Fed Cows
We have a great climate for growing grass for several months during the year and our Cows have the freedom to graze in our in the fields for at least six month a year.
Cows are inquisitive and social creatures. They were born to forage and graze and allowing them the freedom of our fields allows them to express their natural behaviour and to enjoy a diet that they were designed to eat,
we are proud to give our Cows the ‘right to roam’ in our fields! We as Farmers have a unique relationship with their cows, they are not simply animals we raise for food;
we work with them for years to provide the milk we need and we are proud that our Cows grazing in the country side continues to be a familiar sight.
In winter we have often need to house our cows as grass stop growing and winter rain makes our fields wet and muddy. But, throughout the summer we collect and store our grass as silage to provide winter feed.
We regularly sample our grass and silage to check their nutritional values; the additional corn we feed them is specially prepared from good quality ingredients so we can ensure they get all the nutrients
they need to be healthy and strong, as we also value the contribution that a healthy diet for cows can make to a healthy diet for humans.
How can we measure the value of our food for consumers? When we talk in terms of value for money, we often think about how much we got for the money we spent and make an assessment of
quality based on how food looks and tastes. We know these things are important to our customers. However, we know that our customers also share and appreciate our values and understand that giving our cows
the freedom to graze and express their natural behaviour along with good quality animal health and welfare management gives real value for money!
Red Tractor
We work very hard to ensure both our animals and our products are of the highest quality and are both our Farm and Dairy is Red Tractor approved and we are also a member of the Pasture Promise Scheme.
What does the Red Tractor mean?
The Red Tractor logo confirms that independent assessors have checked food or drink meets thier comprehensive standars, from farms to fork, or in our case cow to cup!
The Standards cover the following:
1.Traceability
The flag in the Red Tractor logo tells you where the food has been farmed, processed and packed. To follow this traceability trail, all users have to keep comprehensive records of their livestock and crops.
2. Food Safety and Hygiene
Food given to Red Tractor animals on the farm is safe for them to eat, so there is no risk of contamination to the meat and milk produced.
Red Tractor dairy farmers have to meet strict standards of hygiene; from the way they milk the cows to how they store milk for collection
3. Animal Welfare
We know it is important to you that farmers protect the health and welfare of animals. The standards make sure that farmers are competent to look after animals,
understand thier needs and that the animal's health and welfare is regulary checked.
The Red Tractor logo means that animals have adequate space, and safe and comfortable housing or shelter. Just like you, our animals need a nutritious diet to stay healthy.
The standards require that all animals have unlimted access to fresh, clea drinking water and are provided with well balanced meals.
All farmers who keep livestock must keep a written health plan and medicine records so that they can monitor the health of their animals and prevent them from becoming unwell.
4. Enviromental Protection
Farmers under the Red Tractor scheme must use responsible farming methods to minimise pollution. This means making sure that pesticide and fertilisers are stored safely and are applied correctly to the crop.
Ice Creams
Delicious Ice Cream Made on The Farm
Creamy Dairy
Our own dairy ice cream has no added flavours! Our high quality ingredients are added to this rich and creamy ice cream to give you the following choices!
Vanilla
Creamy flavour – yummy on its own or wonderful with most deserts (particularly our warm apple pie!)
Strawberry
Made with real strawberries for this classic.
Rasberry
Made with real raspberries.
Peach & Mango
Yes, you have guessed it! made with real peach and mango’s
Apple Pie
You just have to try this one – it really does taste of apple pie!
Mint Choc Chip
Scrummy mint & real dark chocolate chips
Chocolate
Smooth and chocolaty for all you chocolate connoisseurs.
Chocolate & Orange
Our smooth chocolate with a delicious twist of orange flavour
Rum & Raisin
Rum ice cream with shredded raisins for a traditional classic
Honeycomb
Our delicious Natural ice cream with lots of golden honeycomb chunks scattered throughout.
Salted Caramel
A smooth creamy and totally moreish toffee ice cream
Irish Cream
Smooth dairy ice cream laced with coffee and whiskey for a heavenly experience
Orange & Cointreau
Wonderful for a special occasion – ask for a taste next time you visit us!
Brown Bread
An old traditional recipe, delicately flavoured with brandy and yes it does have brown bread in!
Milk Deliveries
This is how dedicated your milkmen are to making sure you get your pint on your doorstep whatever the weather! They really are our local hero's!
Links
Here are links to a few of our customers and friends
CONTACT
Contact us and we'll get in touch.
Barkhouse Dairy Farm, Huddersfield Road, Shelley, Huddersfield, HD8 8LJ
01484 62555
info@barkhousedairy.co.uk
