southview-farm-dairy

about the farm

SOUTHVIEW FARM DAIRY IS ONE OF THE ONLY TRADITIONAL DAIRY FARMS LEFT IN WEST SUSSEX THAT PROCESSES MILK FROM IT'S OWN DAIRY HERD. 


Based at the foot of the South Downs it is a well-established family business, farmed by three generations of the Hughes family since 1930. Southview Farm is now being run by Charlie Hughes. The farm started milk processing in 2003 and is dedicated to making the very best dairy products available in the local area.

Southview Farm Dairy is proud to provide a range of quality dairy products to our customers around West Sussex.

We send daily deliveries of fresh produce to a wide range of businesses including restaurants, cafes, retail outlets, caterers, schools and nursing homes.

Key to our success has been the belief that excellent customer service should come as standard to all our customers - we provide a prompt, efficient and friendly service.

Knowing where your food comes is extremely important - top quality food doesn't have to be extortionately expensive.

our animals

CALVING TAKES PLACE IN SPRING, SUMMER AND AUTUMN GROUPS.  THE MEAT IS THE BEST QUALITY that goes STRAIGHT TO OUR FARM SHOP.


When we have excess milk we buy in pigs from a local pig farmer only 2 miles away. At 8 weeks old they come to us where we then rear them up on our milk and rolled wheat, which they love to munch on.

We have a great farm dog which helps with getting the Cows in from the fields in the summer.

THE PASTEURISING PROCESS

Most dairies send their milk away to be processed. at Southview Farm, we have been processing and bottling pasteurised milk on the farm since 2003.


Raw-untreated milk has been bottled and sold from the farm since 1980.

When pasteurising we process and bottle milk from our cows three days a week. On bottling days, we're able to get milk that came out of the cows that morning on the shop shelf that same morning.

At Southview Farm milking is done automatically. Since 2012 two robots allow the cows to be milked whenever they want. This cutting edge technology gives the cows and staff more freedom without compromising cow welfare and milk hygiene. The cows actually visit more often, give more milk and are healthier now that they choose when to be milked. The Milking machines take the milk directly from the cows' udders to a storage tank, where it is kept at a temperature of 3 - 5C°. All of the processing work takes place in the milk plant which is in a separate building.

When it's time to bottle whole milk, the milk is heated to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. This makes milk stay fresh longer. Southview Farm uses a method called high-temperature, short-time pasteurisation, meaning the milk is heated to a high temperature for a just a few seconds and then cooled.

From the pasteurising vats, milk is pumped to a homogeniser. This blends cream particles into the rest of the milk. Normally, whole milk contains between 4 and 5 percent cream. Without homogenisation, the cream would rise to the top of a container of milk because it's less dense. The homogeniser breaks down the fat molecules in the cream.

The pistons help pump the milk in high-pressure streams of 2,000 pounds per square inch through small tubes. This causes the larger fat molecules in the cream to break into smaller molecules. They become heavier and then are no longer able to float to the top.

If the Hughes’s aren't processing whole milk, however, they don't want that cream in the milk in the first place. To make skimmed or skim milk, they separate the cream from the milk before pasteurisation using in a machine called a cream separator. Whole milk goes in, and out comes 60 percent skim milk and 40 percent cream. The separated cream is pasteurised, but not homogenised. Then it is bottled individually for sale as cream. Or it may use it to make ice cream. After the cream is removed, skim milk is processed just as whole milk is.

Milk is bottled by a machine that can be adapted to handle various sizes of containers – 2 litres, 1 litres and 500ml. Once the milk is bottled, it's stacked in crates and taken to cool storage to be delivered to local stores, restaurants, nursing homes and schools.

On bottling days, the work starts while you're still asleep in bed: One of the Hughes’s has to get up by 5 a.m. – sometimes earlier – to start processing milk! Around 7 a.m., two employees come in to help, and the three of them process milk until around 11 a.m. Then it's time pot cream or help out with the other farm chores.

our products

FROM OUR FARM STRAIGHT TO OUR SHOP - QUALITY GUARANTEED


MILK, CREAM, YOGURT & ICE-CREAM
Farm fresh milk - choose from skimmed, semi-skimmed or whole milk.
Farm fresh cream for any occasion - single, whipping or double cream to use in cooking or for desserts.
Fresh Yogurt - Natural and a range of flavours
Fresh Ice-cream - A delicious range of flavours

Our Southview Farm Dairy range brings together dairy farming traditions to create delicious products which give customers a real taste of traditional farming.

RAW MILK
This farm has been selling raw milk since 1982. We do believe it has some great health benefits such as improving the immune system helping with asthma and eczema & may even be tolerable by some lactose intolerance sufferers.

You can only buy this directly from our farm gate. If you are interested in purchasing some of our raw milk please email or call us on 01798 831261

We are not qualified to give out medical advice and though we quote great health benefits, please consider anything you read on raw-milk-facts to be information only. As always, before modifying your diet or health practices in any way, seek out and consult with an enlightened medical professional!

MEAT
Calving takes place in spring, summer and autumn groups. The meat is the best quality to supply our farm shop. We occasionally sell meat in a box scheme. Meats include Beef, Pork & Rose Veal. 

Email us if you are interested in purchasing some meat from the farm please email or call 01789 831261 to leave your details.
GET IN TOUCH

our deliveries

WE DELIVER ON A WHOLESALE OR RETAIL BASIS - ARE you A SHOP OWNER, A RESTAURANT CHEF, A SCHOOL, A CATERER...?  get in touch.


Email or call us on 01798 831261 and there will be someone to answer any questions you might have, just leave your details on our 24 hour answer service. All deliveries are free and we can do next day deliveries if you order before 4pm.
GET IN TOUCH

LOCALLY SOURCED PRODUCE 

ON-SITE BUTCHERY

MOBILE FISH STALL

FRESH FROM OUR DAIRY

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