Dairy products from the Ferme d’Esclaye – Pondrôme
The Henin family has been running the “Ferme d’Esclaye” for 4 generations, raising dairy cows, producing milk and processing it into butter and cheese, directly on site in Pondrôme.
At the Esclaye farm, everyone has a role to play, whether it is Jean-Claude Henin or one of his three children, Anne-Laure, Marc-André and Jean-Philippe. As the latter explains:
There are four of us working: my father, my brother, my sister and I. My sister does a lot of processing and selling. My brother and I work in pairs, sharing the weekends, the morning and evening milking. He takes care of a bit of everything and I’m more on the tractors, among the animals. I make sure that all the fences are in order and do the maintenance of the machines. And my father does a bit of everything too.
Jean-Philippe Henin
Anne-Laure Henin welcomes us to their cheese factory to tell us about the manufacturing of the various dairy products:
We produce a semi-hard, pressed cheese made from raw milk. There are three that are made from whole milk: there is the plain, the Beaurinois (made with the beer “La tournée beaurinoise”) and then the garlic and herbs one. Then we have a fourth, which is made with semi-skimmed milk. Since we already make butter, we have tried to make the most of our semi-skimmed milk. Rather than sending it all to the dairy, we transform a little into cheese. As a result, this cheese is plain, and we also offer it grated. As it has a little less fat, it is less creamy, and so it also presents itself well in grated form.
Anne-Laure Henin
The excellent quality of the Henin family’s products comes, firstly, from the specific operation of this farm. As Marc-André explains:
To make good butter and good cheese, it needs first of all a whole know-how in terms of craftsmanship, which is my sister’s knowledge. And then, the first necessity is to have quality milk. In this, we are extremely lucky on the farm, because, even if we work on 110 hectares in total, there are 50 hectares which are directly accessible to the cows. As these plots are close to the farm, it’s great for milking. Indeed, as they have to be milked twice a day, we can’t afford to spend 2 hours a day bringing the cows back and forth.
Marc-André Henin
In addition, we work with several plots of land that we rotate with cereals. We benefit from the grassland, which will restructure the soil and improve its richness. In the meantime, we also produce cereals for the animals and for human beings.
On the other hand, in order to go even further, these breeders-farmers-producers have decided not to limit themselves to the organic label but to become “Nature et Progrès”:
The basis of their label is that farmers must be organic and this is what we really like about “Nature et Progrès”. After that, they have a whole series of things that are visible to the consumer and to the farmers; in terms of livestock management, food, energy considerations and regarding the relationship with the consumer.
Marc-André Henin
Finally, animal welfare is just as important to them as producing good products. This is why they have embarked on an innovative project:
To produce milk, you have to remember that cows have to produce a calf every year. So we said to ourselves that we would try to raise our cows and calves in the best possible conditions; in terms of well-being, access to pasture, getting closer to their natural behaviour, etc.
Marc-André Henin
Since this year, we have been doing a unique experiment. We took five cows and left them with their calves. All the results are positive: we have managed to have an average production of 4,000 litres on our cows, even the calves are growing better, have no behavioural problems, etc. There are even advantages for the farmer’s quality of life, because instead of milking twice a day, we only milk once. It is the calf that drinks the milk produced during the day.
To conclude, the nutritional quality of the dairy products from the Esclaye farm depends on the operation of the farm, the quality of the food eaten by the cows and the treatment they receive. Not to mention that the transformation process is done on site, in Pondrôme itself!
To buy products from the Esclaye farm, you can go to the following shops in Beauraing: Le Comptoir Paysan, Le Four à Chaux, Carrefour market.
For more information:
– Page Facebook de la Ferme d’Esclaye
– Le test de la Ferme de l’Esclaye (Pondrôme): laisser le jeune veau plus longtemps auprès de sa mère
– À Pondrôme, trois des quatre enfants du fermier reprennent la ferme : un cas rare
