A SOUTH Lakeland dairy farming family committed to diversification, animal welfare and environmental stewardship has won the 2016 National Trust’s Fine Farm Produce Award.

Third generation farmer Richard Park, from Low Sizergh Farm near Kendal, picked up the accolade for his raw milk at BBC Countryfile Live held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Mr Park also joined Great British Bake Off finalist Holly Bell on stage to talk about the raw milk she was using in her demonstration.

The annual awards, in their 11th year, celebrate the very best produce from the National Trust’s 1,500 tenant farmers and estates across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Products not only have to excel in the obligatory taste test, but entrants also have to pass a checklist of environmental standards to guarantee the quality and origin of ingredients alongside high standards of production.

A delighted Mr Park, who looks after the 341-acre farm, its 170 cows, 700 hens and 200 sheep, said: “This award recognises all the things that are important to the family. That includes celebrating wonderful local produce, connecting people to the place where their food comes from and taking good care of the land and its livestock.

“Raw milk is milk that is straight from the cow - it has not been pasteurised or homogenised. You can detect subtle changes in its flavour depending on the time of year and the cow’s diet. Its taste and nutritional value make it popular with those on certain diets, fitness enthusiasts and people who remember the taste of green top milk.”

The milk, which comes from the farm’s herd of Holstein and Swedish Red dairy cows, is dispensed to customers by a state-of-the art vending machine just metres away from the milking parlour.

Mr Park gets 1.4million litres of milk a year from the herd with 20,000 litres being turned into cheese and 5,000 litres into ice cream. Raw milk sales, since the machine was installed in March, have exceeded initial targets – averaging between 60 and 70 litres a day.

"It’s quickly proved to be a popular and a good investment," said Mr Park. "We get £1.30p per litre compared to 23p for the milk which we sell to a co-operative. Plus there’s another benefit. I get first hand feedback from customers at the farm – something which doesn’t happen with commercial collections.”