As part of our blog we like to talk a little bit about a ‘day in the life’ of the various people in our team, without whom we couldn’t produce our delicious cheese. So this time around we are really pleased to introduce Ed, our Transport Manager who, along with Mark, Steve, Pete and Phil (helped on occasions by Nigel and Richard) collects milk from the dairy farmers in Somerset and North Devon who supply us.
During the bad weather last winter our drivers never missed a single collection – even though they sometimes had to be pulled out of the snow by the farmers in their tractors – they still carried on – and for that we really salute them!
Jo.
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Tuesday 21st September 2010
Today it’s the early run; I’m up at 1.30am and into work for a 2.00am start! First off I make my way to two farms near Muddiford, Barnstaple. On arrival at the first farm I have to stir up the milk by switching on a mixer in the tank and then take samples to test, one of which gets sent to the National Milk Laboratories to ensure the milk is perfect for use.
At the first farm I load up 2,000 litres of milk – that could fill a lot of bowls of cornflakes!
My next stop is a little over three miles away where I fill up with 16,500 litres of milk. The time is now 4.45 am. When I arrive back at Cricketer Farm, we take our own tests to ensure the milk is just right prior to pumping out the milk into one of our silos, before you know it its pasteurised and ready for us to make cheese with.
It’s now 7.30am, time to leave for my second run of the day to Burnham on Sea, Somerset, where I collect from five farms. This takes around three hours so I’m back to the dairy for around 11.30am. After I unload the milk I give the tanker a good clean inside and out, those dusty Devon and Somerset country lanes can make the truck pretty messy!
At 1.30pm its lunch time for most, but for me it’s clocking off time. Tomorrow morning it all starts again, but I get to have a lie in – I don’t start until 6.00am!!
Zzzzzzz
Ed.
