Guernsey Post Office
Guernsey Post’s philatelic bureau will release a set of stamps celebrating Milk-a-Punch, one of Alderney’s most distinctive and enduring island customs (stamp issue date: 1 April 2026).
Each year on the first Sunday of May, complimentary glasses of Milk-a-Punch are offered in the island’s bars to locals and visitors alike, marking the arrival of spring and the turn of the agricultural year. Rich, frothy and warmly spiced, the drink is made with milk, eggs and rum, and blended with sugar and nutmeg to create a celebratory mixture often compared to eggnog, though with a character entirely its own.
More than a seasonal beverage, Milk-a-Punch is a link to Alderney’s rural heritage, reflecting a time when farming seasons shaped daily life and communities gathered to mark the shift from winter to summer.
The tradition developed from the long-held practice of moving cattle out to summer pastures at the start of May. Islanders would head into the fields, milk a cow and create a communal drink from whatever ingredients were to hand.
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Tradition recalls that eggs - including seagull eggs in earlier times - were cracked into the fresh milk, rum added and nutmeg sprinkled on top before a toast was raised to the new season, a ritual closely tied to the land and community life.
Though once known elsewhere in the Channel Islands, the custom endured most strongly in Alderney. Today, while the drink is no longer prepared in the fields and recipes have evolved, the spirit remains unchanged as islanders and visitors gather each May to share the traditional punch together.
The stamps
This special issue illustrates the story and evolution of Milk-a-Punch:
75p – Celebrating the move to summer pastures: islanders in traditional clothing milk a cow in a lush Alderney field.
97p – The original recipe: eggs added to fresh milk with rum and nutmeg.
£1.45 – A toast to the new season: islanders raise mugs of frothy Milk-a-Punch among spring flowers.
£1.54 – From the fields to the pubs: a split scene linking countryside preparation with a modern pub gathering.
£1.90 – Free Milk-a-Punch Sunday: a cosy Alderney pub where patrons enjoy complimentary punch.
£1.95 – Milk-a-Punch May tradition: a close-up of the drink with its traditional ingredients.
Bridget Yabsley, head of philatelic at Guernsey Post, said: - “Milk-a-Punch is a unique part of Alderney’s cultural heritage, bringing the community together each spring in a celebration of tradition and identity. We are delighted to honour this much-loved custom through our stamps.”