The Gosden family has been based at Goddards Farm, Sherfield-on-Loddon, Basingstoke since 1984, although 24 year old Matthew is the third-generation to join the family farming business.

We have had Jersey cows at this farm since day one and in 2002 we brought over 80 cows from Jersey itself to help keep the breeding line pure.  We have around 200 cows in the milking herd at present and we also rear all of the calves that are bred on the farm ourselves.

We produce approximately 1 million litres of milk per year and 2-3% of this milk is used in the production of our ice cream.  Jersey milk is very different to milk from other breeds, it has a golden colour and sweeter taste, ideal qualities for cream and ice cream production.

'Farmer Gosden's Luxury Jersey Ice Cream' was set up in June 2003.  The idea to start producing ice cream was as a result of Matthew's studies of diversification at Sparsholt College of Agriculture in Winchester.  The farm needed to compensate for the poor milk price that each litre of milk is sold for.  This was our most suitable option due to the high butterfat content of the milk, which is around 5.5% whereas other milks are approximately 3.5%.  This high amount of butterfat gives the ice cream the 'luxury' texture for which it is famous.

We started producing the 'Just Jersey' flavour which is purely the blend of milk and cream that is used as a base mix for all of the flavours we make.   We produce nearly 40 varieties of flavours, ranging from the traditional favourites to the more unusual such as 'Pink Grapefruit', 'Turkish Delight', 'Cinnamon', 'Tiramisu' and 'Mango & Ginger.'

Recently we have undertaken to extend our range of products to include sorbets and as a consequence have re-branded and are known as 'Farmer Gosden's Dairy' to include eventually creme fraiche, cream, cottage cheese and yoghurts.