Organic farmer Frank Shellard, the only producer of mares’ milk in the UK, on treating eczema and making bread and cheese, as told to Kate Johnson
Frank Shellard I trained as an agricultural engineer but I’ve been around horses all my life. My first memory is of sitting in my pram, aged two, and watching the last of the working cart-horses go past.
I had vaguely heard about mare’s milk and Mongolians drinking it throughout history but I didn’t take much notice. I became interested because my daughter, who runs our business, had severe eczema in childhood and treatments hadn’t cleared it up. I’d read the milk might help.
My first taste was at a Belgian farm more than 20 years ago. It was quite nutty, sweeter than I thought it’d be, very pure, with the consistency of semi-skimmed milk. I really enjoyed it and brought some home. My daughter tried it and her eczema got better.
{"content":"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"}
