BBC News - Nostalgia For An Old-Fashioned Milk Bottle

[6Foot2]

Link: BBC News - Nostalgia for an old-fashioned milk bottle

 

I was talking to a friend about this same topic not long ago.

[StevieM]

When I moved house just over two years ago, it took me a few weeks to track down a milkman. I ended up knocking at someone's house a couple of streets away when I saw empty bottles on the doorstep. It's certainly not as cheap as buying a four-pinter from a supermarket, but it's about more than just price. I love putting the empty bottles out before going to bed, knowing that in a few days, they'll be sitting in someone else's fridge. I love opening the door of a morning and finding my milk just sitting there waiting for me. I love the feel of the glass bottle, as opposed to the flimsy disposable plastic containers, and as for the taste...

 

Simple fact - you just can't beat milk that's delivered to your doorstep in a glass bottle.

[CAM]

I have to admit, I was surprised at seeing this! The whole glass bottle of milk and putting out the empties routine has been with me since I was a kid. Granted, the milkman now wakes me up in the middle of the night at about 2am instead of greeting us at the door at 7am, but I thought it was a business very much still alive!

 

As for containers, more for the junk pile I guess. Glass bottles went back out because they technically weren't ours in the first place. That's why we bothered.

Edited September 26, 2014 by CAM

[StevieM]

A few months ago, my milkman started leaving plastic bottles. I was gutted! Thankfully, less than a fortnight later, we were back to glass. I don't know whether people had phoned up and complained/threatened to cancel, or whether there was just a shortage of glass bottles for while, but I'm SO glad it wasn't permanent.

[truebluesteve]

I read this earlier too - an amazing fact that in 1970 that 99% of milk was delivered to the doorstep.

 

I know its nostalgia, but I was sad to see the demise of the electric milkfloat and the clink of milk bottles

[localzuk]

Ah, memories of the morning battle to get the creamy bit from the bottle. I remember when Isle of Man Creameries switched to their little wax cardboard cartons. It was a sad day.

[Trapper]

My Dad was a milkman before he retired. Only job he could get after the pits closed.

 

He went from a nice, decent round in a small area, to being spread out across the area. There are no milkmen back home now, and very few here in Brum.

[Alkaline]

My parents started to get milk delivered, but people kept thieving it. London I guess.

[mats]

I miss non-homogenised milk more. I *loved* the creamy bit at the top.

[Seb1780]

One of the benefits of living in deepest, darkest eStanglia is this probably won't affect us for a couple of decades

[StevieM]

Finally met my milkman last week. I forgot to put the bottles out on Thursday night, so put them out on Friday morning about 7. Just as I opened the door, the milkman was on his way over with my two fresh pints. Not the chirpy kind of chappie I was expecting, though. I think I may have managed to get half a grunt from him.