Buy Local Milk - Support Local Farmers

Word is spreading across the UK about Tytherington-based Farmer Richard Cornock and the Local Choice Milk he supplies to Tesco in Thornbury.

100 life-sized cardboard cut-out of Richard next to a giant bottle of Local Choice Milk are about to appear in stores around the country.

Richard is also about to become a national pin-up by appearing in a calendar, which will be available across the country in Tesco stores. It's being sold in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is Tesco's nominated charity for this year. The calendar features a different local food supplier each month, and should be available at the end of October.

Richard has been profiled in The Farmers Weekly under their food chain section, and has also featured in 'The One', which is Tesco's staff magazine.

How it all began...

Brothers Richard and Tom Cornock keep a herd of cows at New House Farm in Tytherington, just across the A38 from Thornbury.

Theirs is one of three dairy farms in South Gloucestershire taking part in the Local Choice scheme - the other two are in Lower Morton and Littleton.

The scheme allows shoppers to buy milk produced in the area where they live, and to support smaller family farms which might otherwise struggle to balance the books.

It comes as a response to feedback from customers concerned about sustainable living, food miles and supporting our local economy, who told the supermarket they wanted to buy food that is genuinely local to their area.

As Richard Cornock says: 'It's nice to be able to link our farm with the local community, with something that so many people use every day. People can put the milk on their cornflakes in the morning and drive past the cows that produced it on the way to work.'

Richard has worked extremely hard to spread the word about Local Choice Milk, and his efforts have been recognised and rewarded by Tesco. They have given him a Tesco values award for 'commitment and passion in making Local Choice Milk a success in my area'.

He is now also the National Representative for Local Choice Milk, and features on the tescofarming.com website.

'localchoice' milk is sold alongside standard milk and is currently selling at a slightly lower price. The farmers are paid more than they would be for standard milk.

So, if you choose to buy 'localchoice' milk, you'll be directly supporting the dairy farming community in this area.

The Cornocks have been farming in Tytherington since the 1840s and, with the help of local shoppers, they'll be there for a while yet.

If you'd like more information about New House Farm or 'localchoice' milk, you can email Richard Cornock at