Milk was formerly extracted from cows using an old-fashioned hand-cranked cow-press. This was not very efficient and meant that each cow could only be used once.
The invention of the hand milking process vastly increased the volume of milk produced worldwide.
Milk: The Very Slightly Later Years
In fact, so much milk was produced following the introduction of hand milking that specially extended stretch milkmaids had to be introduced to distribute it.
Today, many different varieties of milk are available in addition to the original version. Each comes from a different cow.
It is easily recognised from its distinctive markings.
Milk: The Golden Years
Modern milk comes in four major varieties: from the creamy richness of Gold Top to the thin wateriness of fat-free skimmed milk. The four types of cow are easily recognisable, often just by smell alone.
Fat free

Half fat

Full fat

Gold Top
Milk: An Overview
Milk remains one of the few white-coloured foods that is good for you. It poses very few major health risks apart from drowning. Amazingly, a single pint of semi-skimmed milk contains more calcium than the entire White Cliffs of Dover. Not only that, it has also far fewer seagulls.