大象传媒

"I鈥檝e been working in business for a long time - not that that prepared me for early morning milking!"

Oliver Hemsley worked in the City for many years, but dreamed of becoming a farmer. When he retired in 2017 he bought some land in Dorset and started life as a dairy farmer, with his wife Charlotte. Their mission was to improve habitats for birds and insects and farm in a way that would "create an environment where nature can do its best rather than get destroyed". Their dairy cows are pasture-fed and are only milked once a day - which is very unusual. To make it pay, they have cut out the middle man and pasteurise their own milk, selling that and other dairy products direct to consumers.

When the pandemic struck in spring 2020, they installed their first dairy vending machine and now have sixteen of them across Dorset, Somerset and Devon. They've expanded their product range to include, milk, butter, cream, yoghurt and kefir, with Oliver setting his sights next on making cheese.

So what will Charlotte Smith make of the farm? She's there as part of the 大象传媒 Food and Farming Awards, to judge Hollis Mead Organic Dairy after she picked them as one of three finalists in the "Farming for the Future" category.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced by Heather Simons