Gail’s has unveiled three new bakes containing UK grown and milled heritage grains.
The trio – comprising a new sourdough loaf, crispbread, and shortbread – has been developed as part of ‘The Wheat Project’, an initiative introduced earlier this year by the bakery chain which aims to reverse the grain supply chain and revive lost connections between farmers, millers, and bakers by prioritising the soil over product demands.
By supporting the next generation of British farmers, the project is championing a more sustainable future for food, people, and the planet, noted Gail’s. Over 260 tonnes of heritage wheat was grown specifically for the company’s latest NPD by nine farmers at organic farms where traditional techniques and planting of diverse crop varieties are employed to help nurture healthier soils, aka regenerative farming.
Among the new product launches now available at all Gail’s stores nationwide is the Good Earth Sourdough (rsp: £5.10), made with wholemeal wheat, barley, emmer, spelt, and rye, along with cold-pressed rapeseed oil for added flavour and softness. It is said to offer a fully fermented, complex flavour profile with grassy and earthy notes.
Also recently unveiled are the Heritage Grain Crispbreads (rsp: £5.50) and the Heritage Grain & Vanilla Shortbread (rsp: £6), both made from 100% wholegrain.
The Bruern Farms Sourdough was the first loaf to emerge from the inaugural harvest of The Wheat Project, which has been led over the past three years by Gail’s executive master baker Anomarel Ogen in partnership with John Lister of Shipton Mill. “The flour I use isn’t just a product – it’s the flavour of the land, expressed through farming and milling,” commented Ogel. “My job is to honour that flavour, and turn it into bread that respects the soil, the grower, and the eater”.
Lister described the project as a “powerful reminder that how we grow our food matters”, adding that better farming makes for better bread. “It’s rare to find a bakery so committed to not just great bread, but to the land and people behind it, and can spread this awareness at scale: across the UK, and I cannot wait to see how the partnership with Gail’s and the project will evolve in the future,” he said.
The farmers currently participating in The Wheat Project include:
- John Newman at Abbey Home Farm in Cirencester, who grows Miller’s Choice wheat
- John Pawsey, who has farmed organically since 1997 on his 650-acre Bury St. Edmunds farm
- Hattie Crow and Dianna Moores, who manage an organic farm in Shropshire
- Benjy Wilson, with the help of his father David, grows rare strains of wheat, barley, and rye on his organic farm in Tetbury
- Harry Holt, together with his father John, cultivates Miller’s Choice wheat on the 12,000-acre Goodwood Estate, managed regeneratively
- Richard Gantlett grows Georgian Spring wheat on his organic farm in Yatesbury
- Ted Holmes, managing the Sandringham Estate, supplies Miller’s Choice wheat from a 2,400-acre operation
- Luke Wilson, farming at Lower Dean Manor Farm in Cheltenham, grows John Letts’ heritage wheat for the project.
Gail’s recently rolled out a Rye & Barley Sourdough, as well as sandwiches and new savoury pastries and sweet treats as part of its summer 2025 menu. It has continued to expand its retail footprint this year, with its estate currently at 177 shops including its most recent opening at The Old Town Hall in Hackney, London.
No comments yet