FARM & GELATERIA | Surfing Cow Gelato

OUR FARM

All our gelato is made on-farm at South Battisborough

THE FARM

South Battisborough Farm is right on the coast, just 600 metres from the sea, many of the fields are on the clifftops and it is generally warmer here than most places in Devon. But when it is wet and windy, it is VERY wet and windy! We have a Higher Level Stewardship Agreement so our fields are full of birds and wildflowers, Skylarks can be heard singing all day in the summer. The cows access our fields on specially made cow tracks so they don’t hurt their feet in the summer or churn up the mud in wet weather. The farm runs down to the River Erme on one boundary, with Mothecombe beach and the sea on another. It is part of the beautiful Flete Estate, with Holbeton village at the far end. The climate here is temperate so we rarely have frosts, this means the grass grows 99 per cent of the year!

Our 450 Surfing Cows produce 2 million litres of milk per year. They live at grass for much of the year, only coming inside in really bad weather or for a few weeks before they calve. They are Jersey Cross cows – that's Jerseys crossed with Swiss Red, NZ Friesian, Fleckvieh or British Friesian. A lovely mix!

We are a closed herd – i.e. we don’t buy in cows – they are all born here and have a high health status. The cows are milked twice a day by Lawrence, Jonathon + Sam.

The calves are loosed housed and reared in groups of 10 by Rosie & Lawrence. They stick together in peer groups their whole lives and it's not unusual to find them side-by-side in the parlour being milked when they are grown up. The new calves are fed whole milk, warm, direct from the parlour and, when they move outside, their milk goes to them in a special trailer we bought from New Zealand.

WE LOVE OUR COWS!

Many of our cows have names. Some of our favourites are Moose (she's very friendly and likes a cuddle), Nemo (she was born with one small ear), Midnight, Harriet & Bambi and lots more!

FROM COW TO CONE

Milk is transferred daily to the ice cream parlour which is in a barn nearby You can see the gelato being made by Zoe and Lee.

OUR GELATERIA

Visit our award-winning gelateria, based on our farm near Mothecombe Beach in South Devon. When you visit Surfing Cow you can enjoy our large garden area, where you can take in the sea views while enjoying your gelato. We have plenty of seating available and both the shop and garden are accessible.

You'll find us on the road to Mothecombe beach, just follow our signs and you may be lucky enough to see the girls crossing the road to head to the milking parlour for afternoon milking. At the end of the road you'll find our parlour, where you can buy your perfect scoop (or two...or three!).

Choose from a large variety of flavours, including gluten-free and vegan friendly options. We do not handle any nuts on site and most of our products are gluten-free. Some of our ingredients come from suppliers that also make nut based products, so some flavours carry a 'may contain traces of nuts' warning.

Dogs are very welcome at Surfing Cow, but we ask that you keep them on a lead at all times, and be respectful of other visitors and other dogs. Please pick up any dog poo and take it away with you - we do not have dog poo bins on site - thank you!