A FARM in Combe Hay is producing “the most expensive milk in world” from horses.

Frank Shellard, 67, runs the only farm in UK to commercially produce the alternative dairy product, which sells for £24 a litre - or £6.50 for a 250ml bottle.

His family business Combe Hay Mare's Milk, located between Peasedown St John and Bath, has eleven mares producing 12 to 14 litres a day to make milk, hand cream and lotion.

Mr Shellard, from Bath, Somerset, said he got the idea to cure his daughter's eczema which cleared up with horse milk and lotion.

The businessman is urging people to consider mare's milk for health benefits but said it was tricky to get people to try.

Mr Shellard said: “The British are difficult people to change. People in America and in the continent are much easier. People look at it as something to put in your tea, coffee and cakes but this is a goodness thing and that makes it quite hard.

“There's so much money in the cow's milk industry. Where as we've had a lot of people say that they wont drink the milk because it has come from horses.”

Mr Shellard said that his mare's milk has a sweet nutty taste and has a much lower fat content than cow's milk.

Approximately 30-million people throughout the world drink horse milk - particularly in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia.

Mare’s milk is not designed to replace regular cow’s milk – but Mr Shellard says its health benefits mean everyone should be incorporating it into their own diets.

Mr Shellard had the idea to produce mare’s milk after his daughter Alison, who suffered from eczema, tried a skin cream made from the product in Belgium.

After using the cream and drinking the milk - Alison's eczema soon cleared up.

Mr Shellard then decided to start up his own herd back in England – producing bottles of milk, hand cream and lotion.

He said: “It’s a lot more expensive - it’s probably the most expensive milk in world at £6.50 for 250 millilitres.

“But you would be drinking it as a health drink – more so than putting it on your cornflakes.

“With horses, there's a lower carbon footprint as horses produce hardly any methane. You also don't have the risk of tuberculosis. I had a stroke a few years back and I drank the milk consistently.

“250ml of Mare's Milk at seven o'clock in the morning and it really helps my gut and brought my cholesterol down.

“Definitely go ahead and try it. You could be lactose intolerance but with the make up of horse milk there's a high possibility you could be okay with it.”

Mr Shellard has recently returned from a trip to Kazakhstan, who make Kumis, which is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented horse milk.

He also hosted the Kazakhstan Ambassador for the United Kingdom at the farm and is due for another visit at the embassy.