At time of writing (April 2006), Dairy Crest Ltd apparently holds Oxford's milk delivery market in an iron grip. They do organic as well as standard milk, and deliver up to the ring road and beyond. At time of writing, a pint of milk (glass bottle) costs 49p; 2 pints (plastic carton) costs £1.04 and 4 pints (plastic carton) costs £2.08. There's no difference in price whether you like your milk full-cream, semi-skimmed or skimmed, and the organic milk (plasticized cardboard) costs 64p/pint. There's no extra charge besides the cost of the milk.

Their office line is 01865 792221, and you need to ask for a "doorstep delivery service", because then they'll understand what you mean. Or visit www.milkdeliveries.co.uk

If you have a look at the "Organic Vegetable Delivery (Box Schemes)" section on our Shopping for Food page, you'll find various people who will deliver not only milk but also seasonal vegetables to the Oxford area.

If you happen to need a LOT of butter, you might also be interested in sourcing Jersey cream and butter (no milk) from Upper Norton Jersey Cream Co. (01993 881594). They cater mainly for trade and colleges, but are worth considering if you're holding an event that requires seriously large amounts of dairy produce.

Most milkfloats, if you meet them out in the middle of the night, will be happy to sell you the odd pint (of milk) for around 50p.

The great thing about having milk delivered is that if you buy it by the pint it usually comes in glass bottles, which not only make the milk taste better but also are REUSED, which is much better for the planet.

Click here for info on how to recycle plastic and glass (other than milk bottles) in Oxford.