Miller Matthews Cotswold Flour has launched a white bread flour made from regeneratively farmed UK wheat.
Regenerative farming is designed to protect and improve soil health through methods such as diversification, complex crop rotations, animal grazing, reduced ploughing and natural fertilisation. The aim is to increase the concentration of organic matter in the soil, promote biodiversity and increase resistance to plant pests and diseases.
Grains from local farms that use regenerative farming techniques have been used to produce the Stoneground Regenerative White Flour (rsp £2.80/1.5kg) being launched by Matthews Cotswold Flour to mark World Soil Day (5 December).
“We are at a turning point in making a tangible difference to our soils and wider environments,” said managing director Bertie Matthews. “Sustainability or sustaining the current food system is not enough. Regenerating our soils through regenerative agriculture is the future.”
He added that Matthews Cotswold Flour plans to focus on working with businesses that consider regenerative agriculture principles to be at their core.
“Farms cannot move to a fully regenerative model over night, but our aim is to work with our farming partners, bakers and innovative flour brands to start the journey so that in 10 years’ time all our grains will be grown that way.”
The business has also launched a new range of bread mixes (rsp £9.48 for six 500g bags).
“During lockdown, many enjoyed the process of creating their own loaves,” said Matthews. “However, with lockdown a distant memory, we are all spending less time at home and not everyone has enough hours in the day to bake their own bread from scratch.”
Each mix comes with instructions and contains selected flours, including durum from Italy and ancient and malted grains from the UK, each combined with yeast. The line-up comprises:
- Ancient Cotswold Crunch Bread Mix: A blend of wholegrain ancient emmer, einkorn, Cotswold spelt and torrefied spelt flakes
- Cotswold Malted Rye Bread Mix: A blend of malted rye with malted rye flakes
- Heritage Bibury Barley Bread Mix: A blend of Cotswold heritage high fibre barley and locally grown high protein wheat
- Sicilian Italian Pizza Mix: A blend of heritage Italian durum wheats from the hills of Sicily
- Traditional Stoneground Artisan White Bread Mix: A traditional stoneground artisan strong white flour bread mix
- Cotswold Rye and Spelt Bread Mix: A blend of wholegrain Cotswold rye and Cotswold light spelt flour
Matthews Cotswold Flour is described as one of the UK’s oldest family-run flour mills, and has been trading grain and milling flour in the Cotswolds since the 1800s.
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