Photo credit @duchessfarms
This month we’ve gone a little grain mad after Abby headed to the UK Grain Lab at Small Food Bakery. Over 120 bakers, farmers, millers, plant breeders, scientists and grain enthusiasts gathered for UK Grain Lab to learn and share about the grain future we want to create, from seed to loaf… and donuts….We learn about grain populations and heritage grains, innovative projects that connect millers, bakers and farmers and we chat to bakers around the world experimenting with more diverse flours.
While she was there, Abby took the Grain Pledge – created by author of the New Bread Basket, Amy Halloran – the Pledge recognises that we are all part of this grain system and that we must act together!
Kimberly Bell, owner and baker at Small Food Bakery, tells us about the beauty of baking with flour from grains which allow more diversity and lower-input systems on farm. And John Reid, of RedBeard Bakery near Melbourne, shares his excitement about baking with flours milled from populations for the first time.
We also spoke with Oscar Harding, farmer at Duchess Farms, and Ben MacKinnon, owner and baker at E5 Bakehouse in London, about how a conventional farm ended up working together with an organic bakery on a joint learning journey. We are also serenaded by Nathaniel Mann of Dead Rat Orchestra, who sings about – you guessed it – bread!
Finally, we hear from the students at the Student Eats conference at Manchester Metropolitan University. Claire and Charmaine from Canterbury Christ Church University tell us about their project, the Gastrohub, which does experiential community events focused on reducing farm-level food waste and bringing people together.
We would like to thank Rebel Kitchen for supporting this episode. Rebel Kitchen are a member of 1% for the Planet. This means they donate 1% of their sales (not just profits!) to partners contributing to the planet – it’s through this commitment they are helping to support us to continue to share knowledge in the farming community and spread the word to many more farmers and growers.