Grey Leys Farm, Elvington: Farm opens gates to give public valuable insight

The visitors found out more about dairy farming, met the herd of pedigree brown cows and how they are cared for and also tried fresh milk and milkshakes direct from the business.

The Shaw family has farmed at Grey Leys Farm since 1876 and have built the business up through the generations. In 2017 they transformed an old farm building into a pasteurising dairy and installed a self-service hut in the village to offer quality, affordable, high welfare dairy products straight from the farm gate.

Mr Shaw, who is a York NFU member and fourth-generation farmer, established the jersey herd in 1968 with 13 heifers from a dispersal sale in Totnes, Devon.

He said: “We wanted to invite the public and our customers along to see our beautiful and special herd of Jerseys being put out to pasture for the summer.

“With the lovely warm weather we’ve been having, we wanted to celebrate Yorkshire farming and the countryside, let people learn more about where their milk comes from and how we care for our animals.

“The milk vending machines keep growing in popularity, everyone loves buying direct from the farm and our milkshakes are a big hit - we have never been busier.”

The business now has milk vending machines on two local sites with one site including another machine that sells their reusable one litre glass bottles, free-range eggs, milkshakes and other dairy products.

He said: “We now have two milk vending machines and a product machine so people can come and buy direct.

“People can purchase products and free-range eggs from one, while at the other they can fill reusable bottles or their own suitable containers with fresh, gently pasteurised, unhomogenised Jersey milk.”

The family has 245 free-range pedigree Jersey cows, with 200 youngstock, on 150 hectares and they are milked twice a day.

The fresh milk once pasteurised is transferred into the tank of the vending machine which steam cleans itself after every use.

The award-winning Jersey milk is sold to Longley Farm in Holmfirth, where it is used to make various products including butter, cream, yoghurt and cottage cheese.

Helen said: “We feel the self-service hut is a great way of serving the community with farm fresh milk.

“People can purchase directly from us with zero food miles, help reduce plastic waste by using one of our specially designed refillable glass bottles or their own suitable containers and we can get a fair price.”

The family also delivers to local businesses and works in partnership with a local milkman to deliver direct to doorsteps.