PRESIDENT Pat Metcalfe welcomed members to the June meeting of Davenham WI where guest speaker Henry Elsby gave a talk on the Magic of Goats Cheese.

Henry works for Delamere Dairy, a company started by a couple who named their dairy after Cheshire’s Delamere Forest where they started with their first herd of just three goats.

They went from local production and selling of goat’s milk and cheese to national distribution. Success came after approaching one of the biggest shops with a large distribution capability to stock their products.

They created a niche market for their products in stores such as Asda, Waitrose, the Coop and Morrisons.

The business moved to a purpose built dairy in Knutsford and they now produce a range of goat’s milk products, cheeses, yogurts and butter.

Various health-giving benefits have been attributed to the drinking of goat’s milk regarding allergy related conditions such as eczema, asthma, psoriasis and nasal congestion.

It is also helpful to people who are lactose intolerant to cow’s milk as goat’s milk breaks down faster in the gut and is more easily tolerated.

Members sampled goat’s milk and some delicious goat’s cheese. Henry was thanked for a really interesting talk.

Mention was made of the upcoming trip to an Alpaca farm. Ruth Smith gave a brief presentation about the WI structure from the top down to the local group level.

The next meeting is on July 9, when the talk will be on Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. Please call 01606 354684 for details.

Lesley Lang