style | food
Paul Griffin manages the dairy at Briddlesford Lodge Farm as his father, grandfather and great grandfather did before him. Back in 1923 Charles Griffin walked from Adgestone across the downs with his fifteen Guernsey cows to take up the tenancy at Briddlesford, and today 140 cows, all descended from that original herd, produce milk here. The land now houses a farm shop, Bluebells café, an educational centre and Heritage Centre, but this successful diversification has been borne from a necessity to survive. Words by Tracy Curtis • Photography by Holly Cade
Paul explains, “In the 70s there were hundreds of dairy farms on the Island, but today there are only thirteen and milk’s now cheaper than bottled water. If you think about what goes into producing a litre of milk it should never be that way. The rise of supermarkets and declining milk prices has been having a devastating effect. Dairy farming is no longer sustainable, but it’s not just my job, it’s my life, and I don’t want to quit. It’s been a difficult time, but luckily the changes we have made have enabled us to survive.”
Paul began milking cows aged ten and rarely had a weekend off after that. Following school he initially chose a path in engineering, then spent time travelling. He returned to the Island in the early 90s and saw the farm needed modernisation to improve efficiency. Following considerable investment and with just 50% more cows they managed to quadruple milk production. However, milk quotas meant that they also had to buy the right to produce more milk. They borrowed £300,000 over ten years just to buy milk quota, which is now worthless.
Paul continues, “My optimistic big idea was to make money out of dairy farming, but as we increased efficiency and production, milk prices continued to fall. We just weren’t seeing any benefits. We had to get control of our milk price. Grant funding was available to convert our recently redundant buildings, so in 1996 we turned the old milking stable into a farm shop to sell our own milk, initially unpasteurised and ‘straight from the cow’. The shop was an immediate success. People loved coming to our farm to buy our milk and Isle of Wight food, so the café was the next progression. It’s about people coming to see what we do and enjoying quality local produce, but
ultimately it’s still about selling our own milk.”
The ethos of Briddlesford Lodge Farm is to promote Island produce, and to help Island farmers, like Paul, command their own market. Here, the customer pays for quality Isle of Wight food from the shop or freshly cooked by the chefs, and often can’t believe how reasonable the prices are. Another massive benefit the shop and café bring is that Paul can now utilise his bull calves. Bulls can’t join the milking herd like heifer calves can, but their meat can be sold as veal. “European white veal production is inhumane, and rightly has a bad reputation, but British rose veal isn’t like that. We rear our animals with very high welfare standards until they’re no longer baby calves, they’re young bulls. The meat is a lean, healthy, tender alternative to beef and I’m really pleased we have an outlet for these animals now, because it’s not a privilege most dairy farmers have.”
Paul is continuing to invest in the dairy and recently Minghellas Ice Cream factory moved on site. “Our milk is pumped straight into their pasteurisation vat and doesn’t see the light of day till you open your ice cream. It’s straight from teat to tub. Guernsey cows produce premium quality rich and creamy milk which makes better ice cream, and we certainly enjoy the quality control.”
Briddlesford is now synonymous not only with delicious milk and dairy products, but the promotion of fine island food and our farming heritage. Paul smiles, “We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved here. Apart from my farming experience, we all started as amateurs, learning as we went along, but all farmers have to constantly evolve. If you can’t, it’s time to get out.”
September/October 2015 65
What do you do to relax? Play music. I’m in a band called The Herd. We gig in the café and occasionally elsewhere.
What do you eat for breakfast? Usually a bacon and egg roll.
I
do three hours work before breakfast, then eat outside with a cappuccino.
What does Style mean to you? I think jobs should be done properly whatever they are, so my definition of style is anything done to the best that it can be done.
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