The Dairy

The milk of cows, sheep and goats made an important contribution to the medieval diet, its processing into cream, butter and cheese taking place both in small peasant houses and in large manorial dairies. Their methods were virtually identical, only the scale varying to meet particular requirements. Both were subject to seasonal factors, for cows and sheep produced less milk, and that of a poorer quality, over the winter months. In spring, after the young had been born and a fresh crop of grass had sprung up, plentiful supplies of rich milk had to be converted into supplies of ‘white meats’ to serve the household through to the following year. No sheep was to be milked or suckled after Lady Day (8 September), nor any cow after Michaelmas (29 September), for this would weaken the animals, making it difficult for them to survive the winter.