Please note, Green Barn Farm is no longer producing goat’s milk. They have changed direction, and are now supplying fibre and fleece – prepared the traditional way – using the fleeces from their own herd of Angora Goats and Wensleydale Sheep, along with those of island farmers too!

They use a range of traditional processes to turn the raw fleece and fibres into a range of products – from carded batts and rovings, to their own handmade scarves, eco-rugs and decor.

To find out more, please visit their website

The below blog post is about their old business

My first experience of goat’s milk was when I was camping with my Dad at about 8 years old in the Yorkshire Dales. We stayed in a field adjacent to a farmhouse and in the morning were invited to help milk the goats. As an 8 year old, this was extremely novel, so obviously I leapt at the chance! We had the milk on our cereal, which is, in my opinion the perfect way to have fresh milk. Even then I could recognise the difference to cow’s milk – creamy and rich. I loved the experience of it all and it seemed so special to be connected with the food in that way, farm to plate/bowl.

Although I wasn’t consuming much goat dairy when I was young, humans have been enjoying it as a super food for millennia. In fact, the wild bezoar or ‘wild goat’ was one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans. Many tribes would have goats, not only to provide milk & meat, but also to help with carrying heavy loads and fueling fires (using their dung!). The goat would provide many needs for the tribe and even into more modern times it would not have been uncommon for a family to keep a goat in their back garden!

Over the years I have certainly developed a taste for goat dairy and in particular goat’s cheese. It does feel like an acquired taste, something that develops as your palette matures perhaps. The milk is also full of health benefits and this has influenced the growth of the goat dairy industry over the last 30 years. People with intolerance to certain proteins which are commonly found in cow’s milk have often found goat’s milk to be a more digestible alternative. It has a number of great health benefits; it’s lower in cholesterol & lactose and is full of vitamins and minerals. In fact, goat’s milk is actually more commonly consumed than cow’s milk, mostly due to the number of developing countries still relying heavily on goats today and still using them for their main source of protein.

Modern day sees a huge number of goat’s milk products, with varying flavours, strengths and consistencies. As a chef I have certainly seen the increase of goat dairy products being used on menus which is rather refreshing.

One of the factors which have affected this growth in popularity has been the technological advances in shelf life. Goat’s cheese, traditional was more perishable than cow’s milk, ultimately resulting in a higher price. However with the introduction of various advances in the production, shelf life has been extended by making harder cheeses, just one of the ways goat dairy products are becoming more accessible.

Richard and Michelle Stevens moved to the Isle of Wight in 2013 from Berkshire. Richard has always worked in farming and was a herdsman on a cow dairy farm. 25 years ago they made the decision to farm their own Angora goats in Berkshire, for the beautiful fleeces. In 2005 they made the move to dairy goats and have never looked back. In 2015 they re-established their business with new accreditations and started the Island’s first commercial Goat Dairy. All of their 90 strong herd are free grazing and can often be seen from the main road from Yarmouth to Newport in-between Cranmore and Bouldnor. The herd is mainly British Saanen, with Golden Guernseys, British Toggenburgs, British Alpine and Anglo Nubian featuring too.