Pots of Homegrown Goodness
Once upon a time in the heart of County Down there was a herd of very happy pedigree cows…. rolling hills, acres of fresh green pastures, warm dry barns for when there’s a chill in the air and a Lady owner who loves them so much she paints their portraits!
It’s no surprise that Willow, Cecilia, Mabel and the other pampered girls at the historic Clandeboye Estate produce vast amounts of deliciously creamy milk that is used to produce Northern Ireland’s only locally made cows’ milk yoghurt.
A Little Bit of History
Clandeboye Estate is situated in County Down, close to Bangor. It is one of the largest privately owned estates in Ireland and is home of Lady Dufferin, The Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava. In agricultural circles, the estate is very well known for their award-winning herd of Holstein and Jersey cows. In recent years, Lady Dufferin has been enthusiastically looking at commercial and environmental ventures that can assist in making the estate work financially and become sustainable for years to come.
Developing a business around the milk produced by her pedigree herd has been one of the major ventures that she successfully launched in 2007. Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt is fast becoming a well known local brand and is stocked in major multiples as well as numerous independent stores and farmers markets. The introduction of a range of flavoured yoghurts this spring is expected to double turnover for the small specialist yoghurt company.
“I wanted to create a business that was sustainable in the long term and combined all the elements of Clandeboye that are important, not only the cows and their milk but also our determination to develop a company with sound eco-values and a commitment to local produce. We are delighted to be able to be the only yoghurt made in Northern Ireland.”
“Expanding the range to incorporate flavours earlier this year is a natural progression for the company,” explains Lady Dufferin, “but we have been very careful to take our time with the move and make sure that our core products are performing well before introducing flavours. We enlisted the support of the product development team at Loughery College and Invest NI to come up with a range of flavours that we know consumers will enjoy and look forward to adding new flavours seasonally.”
Clandeboye Estate Strawberry, Raspberry and Toffee Caramel are available in 150g pots featuring original oil paintings from Lady Dufferin’s own portfolio of beautiful images of her cows and country estate.
How We Make It…
The products are made using only milk from Clandeboye’s herd of Holstein and Jersey cows, blended by hand using traditional techniques that guarantee a rich creamy texture without high fat content. The milk is prepared and cultured very gently over 24 hours in small batches, which helps create an exceptional flavour and texture.
The yoghurt is currently available in Natural, Greek and three flavours (Toffee Caramel, Strawberry and Raspberry) and contains no additives or preservatives – just great natural bounty! It’s absolutely delicious eaten on its own or topped it with fresh berries, granola or even a drizzle of honey – yum!