Living near both Aldi and Sainsbury's, I used to buy all my groceries from them. I'd switch between them depending on what I needed: Aldi for bakery treats, Sainsbury's for fresh produce. But a few weeks ago, I decided it was time for a change. Our household goes through a lot of yoghurt and milk, yet I was consistently disappointed with their quality. The supermarket milk always tasted bland and watery, while the Greek-style yoghurt was thin and often spoilt quickly after opening.

Since I live in a small seaside community and enjoy supporting local businesses, I decided to look into getting my milk and yoghurt delivered from a nearby farm. At first, the idea of home-delivered milk reminded me of the lukewarm, nearly-off milk cartons from my primary school days.

However, I put those memories aside and, after some research, discovered Plurenden Manor Farm, a family-run dairy about an hour away that produces award-winning products.

Browsing their website, I was amazed by the variety-beyond milk, cream, and yoghurt, there's non-dairy milk, milkshakes, cream cheese, eggs, butter, kefir, and even fresh fruit juices from a local vineyard, Biddenden. They also offer fresh bread and jam doughnuts, though I haven't tried those yet.

Setting up an order was easy. After emailing them, I was quickly added to their 'milk portal' for regular orders and payments.

When my first order arrived, I felt like a kid at Christmas, excited to see what was inside.

I ordered a pint of whole milk in a glass bottle, some eggs, two litres of semi-skimmed milk, Greek-style yoghurt, and natural live yoghurt.

The milk was deliciously smooth, creamy, and far more flavourful than supermarket options. The eggs and natural live yoghurt were great, but the Greek-style yoghurt was the standout-it's thick like clotted cream and incredibly creamy, perfect with my homemade granola and honey.

Since then, I've placed three more orders, and it's become a weekly ritual. I don't think I'll ever go back to supermarket dairy products unless I'm in a bind and need emergency supplies.

The only downside is sometimes misjudging how much we need-there are just two of us in our household, so it's easy to over-order and scramble to use everything up.

However, what surprised me most was the cost. I expected weekly fresh dairy deliveries to be expensive, but they're surprisingly affordable. While a bit pricier than supermarket alternatives, the quality is worth it in my opinion.

For example, a pint of whole milk from Sainsbury's is 85p, while local milk in a reusable glass bottle is £1.20. Six large free-range eggs cost £2.10 at Tesco, compared to £2.40 locally.

I can also adjust my order each week based on what we'll use. Some weeks I spend just £10; other weeks, I splurge a little more, especially when friends or family visit, and I want to treat them to quality local produce.

Supporting local businesses feels great, and I plan to keep up my weekly milk and yoghurt deliveries. Who knows? Maybe next time, I'll even try the fresh bread and jam doughnuts.