Milk

Since Joel has joined our family, I have tried to cut back on my workload by only ordering fresh cow's milk on the 3 days a week when Jane comes to our house to help me with all the domestic chores. That way, I can ask Jane to boil the milk and wash up all the bottles, milk pan and sieves which is part of the whole process of boiling our milk. A kind friend in Burscough first inspired me with this wonderful idea on our return to Tanzania last June (thanks, Mel!!) and since then, I have followed this very helpful system.
For the days when the cow's milk runs out, I use either long-life milk or we make up jugs of milk using powdered milk + filtered water. These are both 3 times as expensive as fresh milk, but I consider it a worthwhile investment in terms of time gained to spend with the children, as well as freeing me up for the other home-based jobs.
It is not a fool-proof system though! Last weekend, the 6-pack of long-life milk I had bought in town and lugged home turned out to be a disappointment, ruining our afternoon cuppa with its unpleasant texture and nasty lumps:

It just so happened that these cups of tea were destined for Claire and Esther's teacher, Debbie, who had joined us for Sunday lunch- not a very nice drink to offer our guests! (Big apologies to Claire and Debbie!). I never knew that long-life milk could turn bad, especially when there were still 4 months until its expiry date and when it is from a well-trusted South African brand!

I took the 6-pack back to the shop in town where I had purchased it. I was really happy when the kind shop-lady took it back and agreed to replace it with a large tin of powdered milk for the same value.
This morning, my cuppa with a spoonful of powdered milk was delicious, with nothing suspicious to put me off! (So "karibuni" Claire and Debbie- we promise to give you a nice cup of tea on your next visit!)