Nostalgia For An Old Fashioned Milk Bottle ..

[Elina]

Going out very early to work this morning, I saw a milk float. Seeing it made me wonder just how much milk is still doorstep 'delivered' .. in comparison to how much used to be delivered years ago. I came up with this link. According to the link .. in the 70s .. 99% of milk was doorstep delivered & now it's less than 5%. Not at all surprised. I think it a kind of quaint idea these days. I'm sure the older generation are very grateful milk is still delivered. Interesting link! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29327881

[Elina]

'' Milkmen regularly had a career of 30 to 40 years & often became family friends. The milkman would go around and collect the money & would be invited in for a cup of tea''

[Elina]

Who has their milk still delivered here?

[EDDIE51]

There is a door step delivery to our area but only 4 pint plastic bottles and they charge £1.99 a bottle when it is 88p in the supermarket.

[Ken4155]

My next door-but-one neighbour has a pint of milk and a pint of fresh orange delivered every day - yet i still see her buying milk from the corner shop (which is the most expensive around).

[Elina]

Really Eddie! I had no idea of price comparisons, Blimey! I get mine from the supermarket.

[Elina]

I remember as a child picking milk up off the step .. and remember cold winters and the cream rising out of the top frozen.

[Elina]

Can anyone remember what the colours of the tinfoil tops represented? I remember ours as red and silver foil. There was gold/ silver & red ... and sterra which had a slim neck and gold metal cap.

[Ken4155]

^^^

And small birds pecking holes in the top and drinking the cream.

[Elina]

Yep Ken! ;0)

[stuey]

And a little hole with a door built into the side of the house for the bread man to place the loaves.

[Elina]

Never had that Stuey LOL, is that right? You've not been having wobbley pops again? ;0)

[granny grump]

I couldn't remember either but found this
"In the United Kingdom, the aluminium foil tops on glass milk bottles are normally coloured: Gold = Channel Islands milk (with a slightly higher fat content than regular milk), Silver = Whole milk (unhomogenized), Red = Homogenized whole milk, Red & Silver stripe = Semi-skimmed milk, Dark Blue & Silver stripe = Skimmed ..."

[Elina]

Aww thanks granny for that! I couldn't see us drinking very fatty milk x

[granny grump]

I miss the cream off the top on my cornflakes or in coffee

[stuey]

Yes, it's true, and there was a little door (lockable) on the inside of the house to retrieve the loaves without having to go outside.

[Elina]

I now drink skimmed, couldn't imagine drinking anything else. Sometimes I make a coffee made with all milk & I think it caloric .. but it's skimmed.

[Elina]

Stuey that's amazing!

[Old_Geezer]

I used the expression Gold Top recently and was told I was showing my age.
Not had a doorstep delivery for decades. I'm in the supermarket each week anyway, no benefit at present for a delivery too. I recall my mother wanting a sterilised and I was surprised when I discovered all houses didn't get one. We'd get some normal silver top pasteurised too. Now-a-days I just have a pint of semi skimmed and it lasts all week. Occasionally I "splash out" on a 2 pinter. So much for Drinka Pinta Milka Day.

[Old_Geezer]

Oh and yes, they were advising folk not to become milkmen as they would be soon gone when I left school, many decades ago. It's amazing the job is still holding out.

[Elina]

I suppose it would sound strange OG .. By the way, do supermarkets stock sterilized milk?