Horses for courses Can mare's milk really be made into a tasty, healthy alternative ice-cream?

Does the thought of tucking into an icecream made from horse milk leave a sour taste in your mouth? Ignore the neigh-sayers: some experts believe an equine gelato can be tasty, and healthier than the traditional cow's milk variety.

- Matthew Weaver

Food scientists from the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Poland, have managed to make a batch of equine gelato that scored well on consistency and appearance. They said it had a number of potential health benefits including containing half the fat of cow's milk. The study also found it was high in phospholipids which can help tackle stomach complaints, certain fatty acids that ease breathing problems, and lactoferrin, which boosts the immune system.

But is it tasty? Finding out proved to be a challenge. Apart from dairy technologists in a lab in Poland, no one makes horse milk ice-cream, and no samples were available. The lead researcher, Katarzyna Szkolnicka, did supply a recipe, but the main ingredient is hard to come by.

First you need to find a horse and then milk it. Frank Shellard, a farmer in Combe Hay, Somerset, offered to help. He invited the Guardian to milking time at Cromwell Farm - Britain's only horse dairy. Shellard, 66, is an evangelist for the healing powers of horse milk and has written a book on the subject. He reckons that drinking a glass a day helped cut his cholesterol by half in the months following a mini-stroke.

The scientific evidence for such benefits is far from conclusive. But Shellard latches on to the recent studies that point to the therapeutic potential of mare's milk. "The evidence is starting to come in that it's good for your health," he says.