The days of milk delivery are not yet a thing of the past. In fact, doorstep dairy has become a living, breathing industry and a staple for many Edinburgh households in recent years.
Milk delivery has made a comeback after supermarkets nearly wiped out the industry. A few companies have held onto the tradition and cemented themselves into Edinburgh communities in the process.
You may have spotted your local milk delivery person if you’re awake in the early hours of the morning. The nocturnal drivers deliver through the night in trucks laden with glass milk jugs, ensuring that households are delivered fresh milk without fail each morning.
Edinburgh Live spoke with McQueens Dairies to get a closer look into an old-timey industry that has adapted to fit with modern demands.
We visited their facility in Loanhead where they launch a fleet of trucks to deliver through the night to Edinburgh doorsteps.
The family business has been operating for 30 years. They began delivering in St. Andrew’s but now cater to households across Edinburgh, the Lothians, and the UK.
Michael, a McQueens driver, spoke on the way that drivers form connections with the communities they deliver to.
McQueens Dairies offers traditional milk in glass jugs – and also range of plant-based alternatives to meet modern demands.
(Image: Edinburgh Live)
Michael said: “There is a gentleman who is always waiting outside for me. It got to the stage where he now asks me to open his door and come inside each time. He leaves me little notes and I leave him notes if I’m going to be on holiday and will be away.
“I’ve had the same route for years and I’ve worked up a rapport with people.
“For the drivers, it’s about the connection with the community.”
Michael has made an impression on the communities he delivers to. He’s noticed that he has appeared in their online community forums. They refer to him as “Michael the Milkman” and locals have come to know and trust him.
On occasion, critters will steal the dairy or eggs. Foxes and hedgehogs have been known to swipe produce from doorsteps.
McQueens provided adorable footage of a hedgehog licking an empty milk bottle outside a home that orders their products.
Join Edinburgh Live’s Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
But the service provides more than just a product – it also carries a social utility that is absent with traditional supermarket shopping. McQueens drivers have been known to protect the communities where they deliver.
While on their rounds, drivers have encountered circumstances where people had collapsed in the street, forcing them to call medics.
They’ve even had a couple of instances where houses were being burgled while they were delivering milk. Once, a McQueens driver chased away two men who were trying to get in the back door of one of their clients’ houses.
The customer later left some money for the driver as thanks telling him to “get a pint on her”. The driver didn’t take it and said he would rather she was safe.
Such interactions bolster McQueens staff’s commitment to their job, which they say is about holding onto the tradition of milk delivery and fostering engagement with their customers’ communities.
But since drivers deliver through the night, these instances of trouble occasionally crop up.
Nicholas Malizia from Edinburgh Live visited McQueens Dairies to get the scoop from a local milkman.
(Image: Edinburgh Live)
Stevie Palys Head of Logistics said: “It’s a hard job, it’s difficult hours. It’s through all weather conditions. If it’s torrential rain, they’re out delivering milk. It’s not like they stop and can’t deliver milk because of the weather. It still happens.”
Michael added: “We’ll still be there. We will make sure you get your milk.”
Because of the nocturnal schedule, Michael said that many customers never even see their milk delivery person.
He said: “Sometimes customers will still be awake at 11 or 12 pm. They’ll come to the door and say ‘I’ve never seen the milkman before’. Yeah, we exist. We’re here.”
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox