Lovingly Artisan has partnered with fellow Cumbrian business Eden Yard and wheat specialist Dr Andrew Wilkinson to grow a rye crop in the heart of Eden Valley.
It forms part of the bakery’s plans to reduce the food miles of its ingredients and increase food security. This has also seen it start construction on an in-house mill at a new site in Burneside up the road from its existing Kendal bakery. The mill is expected to be up and running in the next couple of months.
The collaboration has been several years in the making and seeks to mirror some of the farm-to-bakery initiatives being run elsewhere in the UK by members of the UK Grain Lab – a collective of farmers, millers, plant breeders, bakers, cooks, scientists, and academics who are working together to create a more diverse UK-based grain economy.
The main obstacle for Lovingly Artisan, which was named the number one artisan bakery in Britain in 2024, was finding a farm in Cumbria that would be suitable and willing to experiment with growing the crop, particularly as it has no large-scale arable tradition.
Wilkinson, also known as The Grain Doctor, was tasked with helping and, quite by chance, Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor of Lovingly Artisan connected with Ben and Jannike Taylor who own Cumbria’s only cooking oil company Eden Yard. Notably, Eden Yard’s oil is used in the bakery’s focaccia.
The Taylors operate a 600-acre farm which specialises in growing varied arable crops as part of a soil management plan, but they have also grown several crop batches over the three years prior that were of suitable quality for use by a local biscuit manufacturer.
The trio set to work with Wilkinson providing the seed and expert guidance, the Taylors the land and machinery, and Lovingly Artisan offering access to a milling facility and market for the end product.
Following organic growing principles, the seeds were planted in two small fields totalling just under eight acres in early autumn 2023. Despite the questionable weather during the first half of this year, the resultant rye crop, which was in the region of 12 tonnes, was successfully harvested in late August and has now been stored ready for milling.
Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor expressed that they wanted to go on this journey for quite a few years but was waiting to find a suitable farm which shared their vision.
“Cumbria, though not known for crop production, has areas of land that are highly suitable for growing grains of this sort, particularly heritage grains that have, over thousands of years, adapted to climatic conditions prevalent in the UK,” explained Monks, who was recently been named a finalist in the Baker of the Year category at the 2024 Baking Industry Awards.
“Couple that with organic growing practices and you’ve got a win-win situation. Shortened supply chain, locally produced crops with unique terroir. All of this increases our food security, and when grown sustainably can offer farmers positive returns and ultimately provide the consumer with a locally produced nutritious and ethical product in the form of ancient grain breads produced from seeds nurtured in Cumbria and then turned into loaves served at Cumbria’s dining tables.”
Dr Andrew Wilkinson added: ‘’This is how farms should be operating; growing food in such a way that the farming activity actively seeks to retain the value of the landscape within the community.’’
Following the trial, the partnership is planning to increase grain production at the Eden Valley site, planting several dedicated heritage grains and more rye, thereby increasing the total acreage available and subsequently the grain available for milling at Lovingly Artisan’s flour mill. They hope to make the flour available to other local businesses as crop production increases alongside their milling knowledge and capacity.
Ben and Jannike Taylor said the partnership has provided a “welcome opportunity for us to further expand on our journey to farm sustainably and provide more products for our community”.
They added: “It is incredibly exciting that nutritious and fully traceable bread will be created, from grains grown and milled within the county, highlighting the vital connection between farmers, producers, and consumers. Whilst Aidan and Catherine get to trace their loaves back to the seed, we get to follow our grain to the mouths of their customers! It’s a wonderfully exciting project for us all.”
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