Browse through our blog posts to find out what life is like at Hoe Grange Holidays along with some great ideas for days out in the Peak District.
Time to showcase another of our amazing artisan #LoveLocal producers.
We discovered the most delicious yoghurts from Laura’s Dairy at the Bakewell Farmers Market and knew at once we had to stock them in our little onsite shop. They have indeed proved extremely popular with our guests, with the top seller being the scrumptious salted caramel flavour!
Laura’s ethos is to produce simple, honest products using unhomogenised milk from their own herd of Dairy Shorthorn cattle at their family farm near Cressbrook. Laura’s rich and creamy yoghurts contain only the finest natural ingredients, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. A real taste of the Peak District presented in a simply styled see-through pot.
Laura's family have a herd of Dairy Shorthorn cows. They are a native breed with distinctive red and white colouring, with a calm, easy going temperament. They are as we say in farming "good doers" and produce high milk yields.
The 265 acre farm has stunning views over the White Peak, with a patchwork of grey stone walls creating a similar landscape to that of Hoe Grange. Laura’s husband Tom milks a herd of around 300 shorthorn cows which graze free-range outside for much of the year giving the milk a fuller flavour. The milk has a good ratio of protein to fat, which is perfect for producing a luscious, creamy yoghurt.
Laura’s was inspired to start her own business when she visited Pembrokeshire on a family holiday. She found many of the local farmers were running other enterprises alongside their farming and decided to take a giant leap to start her own dairy business.
Laura says “My favourite was a tea shop in Bosherston Lilypond, which was in the front garden of a ladies’ cottage. She just did simple things like cream teas and cakes. I came away thinking I’d love to put that ethos into a business of my own.”
On returning home to Derbyshire, Laura decided to put her ideas into action and started thinking about what dairy products she could make from the milk produced by the family herd. Laura initially decided on ice-cream, but after some research found that there were already quite a number of ice-cream makers in the Peak District. However Laura spoke to Chatsworth Farm Shop and undertook further market research and discovered there was a gap in the market for local Peak District yoghurt.
Although working full time, and looking after her three boys, Laura spent all her spare time tasting, testing and developing her delicious recipes. Laura’s focus was on producing a natural ‘grown-up’ yogurt; low on sugar but naturally creamy due to the protein-rich milk. Getting the consistency right was the biggest challenge, but after many trials her flavours were perfected (and we can personally vouch for that!). Laura’s yoghurts are loving homemade and taste divine - her salted caramel – inspired by her children’s love of caramel desserts – and her lemon curd flavours have won many a prize at shows.
Laura’s family are behind her all the way. Husband Tom sees the popularity of her yogurt as a reward for all the hard work he and his family have put into the cow herd, and is rightly proud of what she has achieved so far.
Laura’s Dairy yoghurts are fast becoming a bestseller in our little #LoveLocal shop, with salted caramel at the top of the list and David’s favourite. I personally love the raspberry which is slightly sharper and bursting with flavour. Other artisan #LoveLocal products we sell in our shop include Coldeaton Jersey Ice Cream, Brock and Morten rapeseed oil and honey and Charlies Country Garden Marmalade and chutneys. Why not visit Bakewell Farmer's Market (last Saturday in the month) where you will find Laura's Dairy and many more of our fantastic Peak District Artisans? Check out our little video of what you can find at Bakewell Farmers Market.
Felicity