Sterilsed milk

[nomoss]

We finished our last bottle of fresh milk until our next Drive collection on Friday, on our breakfast cereals, and opened our first ever bottle of French sterilised milk for our afternoon cup of coffee.

Now I remember why I rarely drink café au lait in France.[+o(]

We have been able to get fresh milk everywhere we have lived in the world, except in Sarawak, where we used Nespray powdered milk

Our two children used to drink it quite happily until I inadvertently mentioned at breakfast one day that I looked forward to fresh milk when we next went to England, whereupon they both decided immediately that they didn't like it any longer.

On returning from our next leave in England, my wife brought a few milk bottles with her, mixed the powdered milk at night, and put it in the bottles in the fridge. From then on they used it without comment, and never mentioned it again.

One day my wife had a coffee morning, at which several wives from the Shell camp nearby were present. The milk jug was emptied, and without thinking, she went to the kitchen, returned with the milk bottle and refilled it.

When she returned several women were still looking at the milk jug in amazement, and one asked where she got the milk.

Conscious that the Shell community believed they had everything possible supplied to them, she replied "The milkman comes every morning, doesn't he come to the Shell camp?"

She had them believing her for a delicious couple of minutes. [:D]

[mint]

Nm, are you talking about STERILISED milk or UHT long life?  We have used the UHT long life for all of our time in France.

I did miss fresh but, after I refused the pay the price (don't know about present prices to compare) and refused to keep going to the supermarket just for milk, I settled down and got used to the UHT demi écrémé.

Now the sterilised stuff is a different matter altogether and, if that was the only milk available, I think I'd just have to do without altogether.

[nomoss]

[quote user="mint"]

Nm, are you talking about STERILISED milk or UHT long life?  We have used the UHT long life for all of our time in France.

I did miss fresh but, after I refused the pay the price (don't know about present prices to compare) and refused to keep going to the supermarket just for milk, I settled down and got used to the UHT demi écrémé.

Now the sterilised stuff is a different matter altogether and, if that was the only milk available, I think I'd just have to do without altogether.

[/quote]

On the bottle it says "Stérilisé UHT".

[mint]

I love that!  So French (as opposed to so British).....so it's sterilised AND had Ultra Heat Treatment?  Nm, perhaps it's the safest milk on the planet now with this virus about? [:)]

[nomoss]

[quote user="mint"]I love that!  So French (as opposed to so British).....so it's sterilised AND had Ultra Heat Treatment?  Nm, perhaps it's the safest milk on the planet now with this virus about? [:)]

[/quote]

I assume they are both sterilised, but the UHT uses a different method from that used for the old-fashioned sterilised stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-temperature_processing

A friend who owned a milk distribution business in London used to call it the "muck milk", as it was all the made from the milk at left over the end of the day, cooked for some time in the sterilising machine.

It was a faint yellowish-pink colour, and was sold in crown-sealed bottles.[+o(]

Apparently some customers preferred it, as it was so thick and creamy.

[idun]

What dreadful stuff it is. Last time I had the choice of that or nothing, I chose nothing.

I would rather have evaporated milk in my coffee than that.

[mint]

Nm, last time I tried sterilised milk in the UK, it was dire.  Sort of thin with no flavour to it whatsoever.  Must be the "old" sterilised milk, as you have pointed out.

Idun, to be honest I can't taste the difference between UHT, fresh but pasteurised and fresh straight from the farm untreated.

As we have aged, I have stopped the farm milk and cheese made from lait cru, mainly because of my OH's advanced age![:)]

Then, since I had 2 bouts of norovirus one recent winter and the chemo, I have stopped using those things for myself as well.

Eh bien, the things we have to do or deny ourselves merely to stay alive!!!

[nomoss]

[quote user="mint"] ............... to be honest I can't taste the difference between UHT, fresh but pasteurised and fresh straight from the farm untreated. .................... [/quote]

Nor can my wife, but I assure you that I can.

[NormanH]

I think the main thing I don't like nowadays is that most milk is homogenised. That makes more difference to me than if it is UHT or fresh.

"Fresh" milk from a supermarket is  dire.

When I was in the Ariège I could get whole sheep's milk and at one time in Béziers there was whole cow's milk at the Farmer's market, and those were a totally different thing, but unfortunately I can't get either now.

[Lori]

We both love the UHT milk.  Typically, we buy the Leader Price Bio Demi-ecreme in six packs.  I can't remember the last time I bought fresh milk in France. 

[idun]

We always drink whole milk and I can tell the difference between UHT and fresh, they just taste different, and I like both.

Sterilized, well, no, no, no! Horrible stuff.