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Feb 23, 2022Liked by Hugh Thomas

I was wondering about Parsons too. I have some kept in the freezer for when my weekly Rye Bakery loaf runs out. To me it doesn't necessarily taste like "real" sourdough but it's much nicer to eat that the fake sourdough from co-op, tesco, etc (they are really not nice!!) Another awesome article Hugh, thanks :) Rye Bakery are going to do some tours and tastings at their growing site for the Somerset Food Trail, can't wait to visit!

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If we were to do tiers, Rye would be up there, supermarket down there, and Parsons somewhere in the middle perhaps. Helps that they have such lovely staff too.

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May 18, 2022·edited May 19, 2022

I sometimes wonder how supermarkets are allowed to get away with calling what they sell 'bread'. I sincerely believe it's one of the primary foods making people ill on a mass scale.

I got into bread-making several years ago when I learned to make pizza dough from a Jamie Oliver book. From there I progressed to making loaves and rolls, and while I'll never be a master baker, I now make bread on a weekly basis. Sadly I don't have the time for sourdough, but Matthews Cotswold flour and Saf Levure dried yeast are excellent ingredients and make for a tasty, healthy loaf.

For me, bread-making is a hobby with the side-benefit that what I bake tastes so much better than supermarket bread and it's far healthier too. I do fear that inflation is going to push more people towards ever poorer-quality foods as they struggle to make ends meet.

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It wouldn't surprise me either, Tim. But I suspect, even if it was called not bread but 'Hovis' best' or 'Warbuton white', it wouldn't make much difference.

I've been to Matthews' mill – they're great. And are sourcing their grain from farmers wanting to have a positive effect on the environment around them.

No doubt it's becoming harder for people to dedicate more time and money to their food. But, as to the low hanging fruit, I still see those who do have the means to be more invested in better food either struggle or just aren't that interested.

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