St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, use and flavour of this unique yoghurt. And we’ll also compare a few factors against cow milk yoghurt.
This yoghurt is available in some supermarkets in the UK, including Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose.
You might also be interested in reading our article on the best probiotics in the UK if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Goat milk vs cow milk yoghurt
Goat and cow yoghurt have broadly similar nutrient profiles with each providing live cultures, protein, calcium and B-vitamins. The main functional differences relate to digestive tolerance, protein types and texture rather than major differences in vitamins or minerals.
Goat yoghurt may feel easier to digest for some people because it has smaller fat globules and a different casein profile. Goat milk has less αs1-casein and β-casein that is naturally A2-type rather than the A1/A2 mix found in most cow milk. This gives it a softer curd and can be better tolerated by people sensitive to certain cow milk proteins, though it still contains lactose.
Ingredients of St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt
Because UK law allows single-ingredient products not to state ingredients, there is no listed ingredients on the tub.
This is good because it means that this yoghurt is clean and simple and only contains goat milk and live cultures.
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Benefits of St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt
Below we’ll look into the benefits of St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt and compare a few factors against M&S Greek style yoghurt - which is one of our favourite cow milk yoghurts.
Live cultures
St Helen's Farm includes various live cultures:
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus - these are classic yoghurt starter cultures
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis: these are additional live cultures
In contrast, M&S gives no indication of the strains of live cultures present in their yoghurt.
In terms of the amount of actual live cultures present (ie colony forming units), no information is provided by either brand.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are beneficial substances produced by live cultures during fermentation. In yoghurt, these can include small amounts of organic acids, peptides and other fermentation by-products.
Nutrients
In terms of key health measures, St Helen's Farm compares favourably against M&S Greek style yoghurt.
Fat: This yoghurt has fairly high levels of fat at 7.3%, while M&S is even more at 9.6% fat.
Protein: It has moderate to high protein levels at 5.5% - which is above M&S’s level of 4.1% protein.
Sugar: It has low to moderate levels of sugar at 3.2%. This is much below M&S’s level of 4.8%.
Calcium: It has excellent calcium levels at 240mg per 100g. Unfortunately M&S doesn’t provide information on calcium content.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it sinks to the bottom of the bowl.
Texture
Despite being a bit runny, the texture still feels decently thick in the mouth. And it has a good creaminess too.
Flavour
The aroma is only very mildly goaty and smells almost like normal yoghurt.
The taste is also surprisingly neutral with only a mild aftertaste of goat. And the acidity is fairly high.
Overall, the taste is very good - clean and natural. It would be quite approachable for someone new to goat milk products or who doesn’t want a strong goat flavour. In saying that, if you really love the taste of goat milk, you might find this too similar to cow milk yoghurt.
Use
This yoghurt would be quite versatile. It can be had on its own, added to cereal or granola, or put in a smoothie.
Cost of St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt
You can buy a 450g tub from Tesco for £2.40 - which is certainly more expensive than many cow milk yoghurt, but this is a niche product ultimately.
Review summary
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: St Helen's Farm goat milk yoghurt has good health measures and a nice, mild goaty flavour.
Pros
simple ingredients
nice, mild goat taste
excellent calcium content
fairly good protein levels
fairly low sugar levels
some may find it easier to digest than cow milk yoghurt
decent texture
good creaminess
Cons
no information on the actual amount of live cultures it contains (ie colony forming units)
more expensive than many cow milk yoghurts
Now read our article about the best yoghurt in the UK!
Health benefits of yoghurt
Vitamins and minerals
Yoghurt contains various vitamins and minerals:
Calcium and phosphorus contribute to the maintenance of normal bones and teeth
Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function
Potassium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system
Vitamins B2 and B12 contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism
Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision and the normal function of the immune system
Fermentation
Because yoghurt is made through fermentation, some of the lactose in milk is broken down during the process. This means yoghurt is can be better tolerated than milk by people who struggle with regular dairy.
Protein and fullness
Yoghurt, and especially thicker styles like Greek yoghurt, tends to be relatively high in protein. Higher-protein foods can help you feel fuller for longer.
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if the product might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How it’s made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Your reviewer
This review was written by Travis, founder of Hello Gut Health.
A long-time gut health writer and advocate with over ten years of experience exploring the science of the microbiome and fermentation.
He combines careful research with practical testing to help readers make informed, trustworthy choices.
He has reviewed over 150 gut health products.
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