What do you think about,
when you think about milk?

What stories, sounds or memories come to mind?

  • WW2 rations with milk bottles, 2 person weekly war ration

    by Imperial War Museums. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 19 June 2024.

Our project is about everyday milk heritage, and the historical forces that shape this heritage. 

We are interested in how northern European cultural and historical relationships with milk have influenced global dairy policies and regulations, especially in Kenya and the UK.

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There are many historical connections between the dairy industries in the UK and Kenya, with colonialism being a major one. Many British settlers in Kenya set up dairy farms, and colonial era dairy policies continue to shape dairying in Kenya. 

Dairying in both Kenya and the UK has been impacted by an industrial system designed to generate large volumes of milk, produced at low financial cost, and distributed on a global scale. 

    1. Kenyan boy drinking milk

      Kenyan boy in smallholder dairy household drinking milk (photo credit: ILRI/Dave Elsworth).

    2. Parsonage Farm- Dairy Farming in Devon, England, 1942 A 'cow man' or dairy worker milks cows by hand at Old Parsonage Farm, Dartington.

      Although electrical milking apparatus is used on this farm, some cows respond much better to hand-milking. The cows all have their tails tied up to strings hanging from the roof to keep them out of the way of the cow man's face whilst milking.

    3. Swedish milk advert "Mjölk"

White Green and Pink Floral Ceramic Teacup With White Spoon

Why Milk?

We can all relate to milk in some way, it is our first food, and whether or not we like milk, it’s something we encounter every day. Yet when you scratch under the surface, milk is surprisingly political. For example, governments in both the UK and Kenya were distributing free milk to school children in the 1980s.

Milk’s Cultural Impact

A girl buys milk from a vendor in Kenya

Why Kenya and the uk?

To explore their historical connections and understand colonial legacies. Both Kenya and the UK have rich and diverse dairying heritage & practices including cows, sheep, goats and camels. In Kenya, European settlers introduced exotic breeds of cattle which shaped modern dairy farming in both countries.

Historical connections

Landgirl's Day- Everyday Life and Agriculture in West Sussex, England, UK, 1944

Why podcasting?

We think we know the sounds associated with milk and dairying, but what about violins, roaring, popping corks, suction pads, lorries, and aeroplanes? Podcasting allows us to experience the contrasting landscapes of milk-production and share our research with you. 

Podcasting

    1. White Green and Pink Floral Ceramic Teacup With White Spoon

      By cottonbro studio, Pexels.

    1. A girl buys milk from a vendor in Kenya

      Photo credit: ILRI/Brad Collis.

    2. Landgirl's Day- Everyday Life and Agriculture in West Sussex, England, UK, 1944

      29 year old Land Girl Rosalind Cox (left)carries milk pails in the dairy on Mr Tupper's farm at Bignor in Sussex, as her colleague Helen Newmarch sits on a stool to milk 'Cleopatra'. The cattle here are shorthorn cows. Helen is from Worthing and was a shorthand typist before joining the Land Army.

      Photo credit: Imperial War Museums