Swansea-based Lewis Pie & Pasty Co has collaborated with a local brewery and distillery to create a gin made from surplus bread.
Bakery Gin is made by Coles Distillery in Llanddarog, Carmathen, using day-old bread from Lewis. The gin, which displays the slogan ‘Made from yesterday’s bread for today’s gin’, costs £25 a bottle.
“When our bakery makes bread in the middle of the night we often have to use a best guess on quantity and slightly overproduce to make sure we don’t short supply our customers. This can generate waste,” Lewis Pie & Pasty Co said.
The bakery instead sought to put the surplus to good use with the help of Coles.
“The idea came to us when Lewis Bakery asked if we could do something with their waste bread so it did not go to landfill,” said Marcus Coles, head distiller at Coles Distillery.
“We like a challenge so first we turn the bread into a beer then distil the beer into a vodka. Finally we turn it into a very delicious gin.”
Coles added that the bread and yeast gives the gin a unique flavour that is described as “light, clean and fresh” with juniper and citrus notes.
Using surplus bread as the base for alcohol is becoming increasingly common as bakers look to reduce the amount of waste they are producing. In the past year alone, frozen retailer Iceland has teamed up with Tiny Rebel to create a beer made from excess bread and Marks & Spencer launched craft beer made from discarded bread crusts with the help of Adnams.
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