DELIVERING milk on the doorstep continues to be a major part of Andrew Hardy ’ s life at Tarn View Farm in Steeton where he has 90 acres , which includes land at another farm he started renting in 1993 . Growing up at Alan House Farm in Wilsden he enjoyed working alongside his granddad Kenneth who had a dairy herd of 70 Friesian cows and going on the road with him and with his mum on the milk round .

‘ From 6 years old I was helping out , delivering milk and mixing corn ,’ says Andrew . ‘ Those were the days when we would deliver raw milk , green top , in solid big glass bottles , now it ’ s all 2 litre poly bottles . I always wanted to be a farmer and when I left school I went straight on to the farm where I became tractor driver and the top man for shovelling excrement !’

Having decided to go it alone in 1993 Andrew left behind his brother Chris , father Alan and grandfather Kenneth and rented the 36-acre Sugden House Farm at Crossroads near Haworth , took on a further acreage to take him to 50 acres and a year later began his own milk round in Bradford .

‘ I ’ d always wanted my own place and although I didn ’ t have a dairy herd myself I knew about selling milk on the doorstep and set about building my milk round in Bradford where they have always liked their milk delivered direct .’

Andrew also knew he was heading into a highly competitive market place and set about ensuring he took his fair share .

‘ Doorstep delivery is different in Bradford to anywhere else . While in nearly every other town or city it went out of fashion , they never gave up on it . They buy a lot of milk and nearly all of it is whole milk . They are good customers and they want their money ’ s worth . They don ’ t want ‘ owt taking out ’.

‘ We sold the milk at a highly competitive price to get the customers and they ’ ve largely remained loyal to us ever since . In the early days I certainly had some hairy moments with those I was competing against !’

Andrew is full of praise for Keith Downs of Primrose Dairy in Bingley who helped him greatly when setting up his round .

‘ I still buy some milk from Keith , but it was his support when I started in 1994 that got me going and I will always be grateful . I now buy most of my milk from a farm neighbour here in Steeton .’

‘ We now deliver 12,000 litres a week into Bradford . I have three other men work with me and our day is about getting up at 3.30am to be loaded up and into Bradford for 5-5.30am , finishing the round by about midday .’

On returning back home to Tarn View Farm , that he purchased as bare land in 2000 , it ’ s back to the farm for a few hours before opening the farm shop at 4 o ’ clock every afternoon for just two hours .

‘ I bought 50 + acres here at Tarn View where we have a herd of 12 Aberdeen Angus X suckler cows and a pedigree Aberdeen Angus bull , plus I buy store cattle at around 12 months old that I take through to 24 months and either finish ourselves or I sell as stores with the fat cattle going to Gisburn Mart and stores sold at Bentham . We finish between 20-30 every year . I feed them a beef blend from Jameson Feeds in Masham , and haylage .’

‘ We had breeding ewes until two years ago and I miss not having them , partly it

HAY & STRAW