By Alison Huth

If you are old enough to remember the days when you raced to be the first to open a new bottle of milk so you could get a decent amount of the cream sitting on the top, then you will be really glad that Maleny Dairy exists.

If you are not old enough then you are in for a real treat, when one of the things from the 'old days' actually is worth going back to.

Maleny Dairy only has Guernsey cows, huge placid animals whose only role in life is to make heaps of extra rich milk. In 2002 the Hopper family who own the farm, and the herd of 130 odd cows, decided to get out of the rat race of trying to sell to the big concerns who will only pay what they want, not what the farmer needs to cover costs.

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Instead of just producing the milk to sell off the farm, they turned their farm into a complete business. You start with the milking, and end up with Maleny milk, cream, custard, ice cream and yoghurt. And, you know that it is made with the most amazing of milks.

I came home with a bottle of the pasteurised milk, and as soon as you open it up you can smell the cream! My little grand-daughter is a food fanatic, she just loves it. So, I shared some of the custard with her, and it went down so well. She thinks eating is a serious business, and one that you need to put some time into, but you cannot take too long getting another spoon full of banana custard to her.

Then I taste tested the yogurt, and it leaves so many other brands behind, rich and creamy with plenty of the fruit splashed throughout. I tucked the frozen mango yoghurt away in my freezer, and will share that out as a very special treat.

I did learn that the flavoured milk (strawberry, coffee and chocolate) was made with a liquid flavouring rather than a powder, which means that you do not have to shake it before you drink it, and there is no grainy residue at the end of the bottle. The coffee one was outstanding.

Now, you may think I am going overboard on the taste for these products, but I am not. They are all delicious. What I also like is the fact that a family decided to step away from the big corporate purchasers and have a go on their own – and they have succeeded.

Another thing that did amaze me about the milk was I really cannot tolerate most of the commercial milks – I am one of those lactose intolerant people. But, Maleny Dairy gold top pasteurised only milk went down a real treat with no after affects at all.

If you like goat’s milk, their herd of 30 goats produce a quality product too. I did not taste that; I was too busy enjoying the taste of the cows milk products.

The only problem with Maleny Dairy products is that you cannot get them from just anywhere in Australia, they are local to the Sunshine Coast, but when you come for your next holiday, put them on your list of things to try.

Am I hooked on Maleny Dairy products? The simple answer is yes.