One fifth of the 500m pints (360,000 tonnes) of milk discarded in the UK each year is thrown away because of the use-by label. This lactic waste produces 100,000 tonnes of CO2, or the same as the emissions from 20,000 cars, annually. But milk is usually fine to consume days after its use-by date, which is why the government waste scheme Wrap has suggested taking it off labels and leaving us to decide if our milk is OK to drink.
A simple sniff test should tell you if your milk has soured and is no longer palatable to pour on your porridge, but even if it has turned, it can still be used to make a number of fabulous dishes. Unless you are fermenting unhomogenised or raw milk to make kefir, it’s best not to drink soured milk, but it’s fine in cooking. Use it to replace yoghurt in cakes, add to drop scones or, if you’re feeling adventurous, make paneer.
My current food obsession is bread, more specifically farls, a quadrant-shaped bread from Northern Ireland that’s cut into four and cooked on a griddle. Soured milk makes the perfect soda bread, or farl, because its natural acidity reacts with the bicarb and helps it rise.
Farls
Heat a griddle pan on a medium heat. Mix 200g flour, a pinch of salt, half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, and an optional sprinkle of seaweed flakes. Now add 100ml soured milk (if it’s not sour, add two teaspoons of vinegar to activate the bicarb), mix and press the dough into a 2cm-thick round. Cut into quarters, put on a hot griddle and cook until the underside is slightly charred. Flip, cook the other side, and serve warm with olive oil or butter.
