The history of milk delivery in the UK

Milk supply from 1860 to 1900

The British milkman first seems within the 1860s when the brand new railway community begins to convey contemporary milk, direct from the farm. Loaded into churns, the milk is delivered from door to door by the milkman on a three-wheeled milk pram.

Milk supply from 1900 to 1939

With out widespread house refrigeration, milkmen are nonetheless delivering thrice a day -for breakfast, lunch-time pudding and afternoon tea. Milk deliveries solely drop to 2 a day within the First World Battle.

Milk supply from 1940 to 2000

Throughout World Battle II milk deliveries are lowered and, with in a position bodied males being in brief provide, the primary milk-women take to Britain’s streets. Horse-drawn milk carts are nonetheless a standard sight till the Nineteen Fifties, however are regularly overtaken by electrical autos such because the three-wheeled Bush Pony.

Milk supply from 2000 to As we speak

The every day milk supply goes digital with the launch of Milk and Extra. Now you can go browsing as much as 9.00pm the night time earlier than and order over 250 important every day merchandise, from bread, eggs and milk to washing-up liquid, Natural Meals and pet meals. Subsequent morning, your native milkman will likely be spherical along with your grocery supply in time-honoured style.

Milk information

• 1866. Most Londoners get their milk from the nation
• 1869. The worth of milk varies, Infants’ milk prices 5 pence a quart, whereas common stuff simply 4 pence
• 1880. Bottled milk arrived
• 1890. Pasteurisation is launched

• Nineteen Nineties. Some households have their very own milk churns sealed within the dairy earlier than supply

• Twenties. The cardboard lids on glass milk bottles turn into a success with youngsters

• Thirties. The primary electrical autos seem

• 1935. Jazzman Fat Waller data My Very Good Pal the Milkman
• 1960. Most of London’s milk is now delivered by electrical or petrol autos
• 1971. Benny Hill’s tune Emie, the Quickest Milkman within the West is primary within the charts
• 1984. Bottle Boys, the story of two milkmen, hits the British TV screens

• Nineteen Nineties. Infrared scanning for milk bottles is launched to ensure that they’re all the time spotlessly clear

• 2004. Orlando Growth is the milkman who turns into a prize fighter in The Calcium Child
• 2006. As a result of they are often re-used as much as ten instances, the normal milk bottle’s nonetheless in excessive demand
• 2009. Derek Arch, Britain’s oldest milkman continues to be delivering on the age of 81
• 2009. Over 2,500 Dairy Crest milkmen ship 500 million bottles of milk yearly to over 1.3 million properties