It's milk, Jim, but not as we know it ....

It's been a week for strange and wonderful milk here ... Nothing strange about our delicious fresh raw goatie milk, but this week we have been trying out a few other things.

This week, the Ellie's Dairy Official Tasting Panel sampled the delicious fresh milk from our sheepie friends at Top Paddock Dairy in Sussex.  Matt and Becky are now in full swing with their milking sheep and are producing both raw and pasteurised ewe's milk.

The pasteurised milk was very creamy and light, whilst the raw milk was much more potent - still creamy but with that slight hint of sheepiness at the end!  Must admit that it did cause a few faces to be pulled ..

Next up was the marvellous raw Guernsey milk from Hurdlebrook.  I am lucky enough to be able to find raw cow's milk most weekends at one or other of my London Farmers' Markets.  Always seems odd to go to market with bucketloads of goatie milk, only to come home with bottles of cow's milk!  But, David and his parents love that thick and creamy raw cow's milk.

And finally, my dear friend Sal turned up with a rare treat for me at Parson's Green market today.  We had been speaking about camel milk some weeks ago and she had found it in one of the Middle Eastern shops that she frequents ...

And so, here it is, dear readers ... raw camel milk!  From a camel milking outfit in Holland.  If you want to read more about them, go to http://www.kamelenmelk.nl/

Very delicious with a slightly odd (but not unpleasant) flavour.  I am going to send it over to Jane the Cheese tomorrow so that she can sample it as well.  Most notable thing about it was the price ... are you sitting down?   This 500ml bottle cost £12.99.  Yes, that's right .. £12.99.

I have asked David when we can start milking camels ... I think it would be great fun and you wouldn't have to bend down all the time.  Mind you, I have seen them racing and I think they would be impossible to catch if they ran off.  Maybe we'll stick with goats.