Good afternoon everybody,
Wednesday brought the fortnightly flour delivery which comes with the immeasurable bonus of sitting down with David the miller and chatting about his process. There’s a lot to discuss at this time of year, when we are winding down the old supplies of grain we have at the mill and introducing this year’s grain which has been being delivered in dribs and drabs since last month. It needs to be cleaned post harvest and then depending on the quantity a haulier needs to be procured, which can be less than straightforward, especially given that the narrow entrance of the mill necessitates a particular kind of vehicle so as not to get stuck. David’s Doomsday ancestors weren’t thinking of such trivialities when they set up shop. We typically buy grain in two formats, either in tote bags which weigh a tonne and can be delivered by the pallet network, or in loads of 15 to 18.5 tonnes to fill a whole bulk blower, a lorry which specialises in transporting dry goods.
It’s extremely hard for us to gauge exactly how much grain we get through in a year, and it has just so happened that virtually all our existing stock at the mill has dwindled at once, leaving us with a satisfyingly clean slate. Historically we have always over-bought for various reasons, meaning we might have some grain in storage for over a year, but we are determined to keep it tight this harvest. This year we have some old favourites in the blend, from farms and farmers we have been working with for a number of years. Feeding into the decision of which grain to buy, and from where, is a consideration of the properties they are likely to bring, the relationships we have with the farmers, the cost of the grain (which does vary considerably) and the availability. Here is a run down of what’s in the mix and how much we’ve bought:
- 9 tonnes of John Letts’s heritage population winter wheat, grown organically at Fir Farm in the Cotswolds by Luke Wilson. This is the usual amount we’d take from John in a year, and now that we’ve been using it for 7 years, during which the weather has been changeable to say the least, we can confirm that it is remarkably consistent, proof of John’s theory that multiple varieties provide a climate buffer.
- 5 tonnes of Mariagertoba and 13 tonnes of Mulika (ie a full bulk blower) from the same farm. Mariagertoba is a population wheat developed by Anders Borgen in Denmark for the organic sector, and has been getting rave reviews from baker colleagues around the country. It’s Luke’s first year of growing it for sale so we are his guinea pigs. Mulika is a reliable modern variety which Luke and his dad favour growing, although David often finds it tricky to mill.
- 7 tonnes of Orange Devon Blue Rough Chaff from Cornish Golden Grains. This will be our third year using Will’s wheat, and we absolutely love it. David says it’s the best wheat he’s ever milled and can easily get 92% extraction on the white flour, which means very little wastage. The colour and flavour make this grain hard to beat. We’d usually take more, but yields were down due to the hot summer so we’re snapping up all Will can spare.
- 4 tonnes of rye from Green Acres in Shropshire. Having lost their entire crop last year to slugs, we are fortunate to be able to buy from Mark and Liz once more. We love their ethos and their communication style. This rye will be used in all our leavens as well as the rye bread.
We are also hoping to take a few tonnes from an exciting new enterprise near Henley, as we are always looking to forge local connections. And we are currently using some modern grain, Zyat, from one of David’s trusted connections. These grains will all get stored and milled separately as they all require different treatment to get the most out of them, by which we mean once sifted, the greatest amount of white flour and the least amount of bran and semolina. The exception to this would be if there was a grain that was proving a headache for David, in which case he might decide to blend two together. And this formed most of our conversation on Wednesday morning over coffee. David has been trying to puzzle out the Mariagertoba, a grain he’s never worked with before, and the Mulika, a grain which always seems to struggle on the burr stones. After extensive testing, he’s reached a solution. The two grains are being blended together, then the afternoon before milling they are being tempered, which means water is precisely added to bring the moisture content up and help the bran flake off more cleanly. The grain and water get mixed for several hours then left overnight. Usually at this point that would be job done, but David has found that these particular grains need to be mixed again for an hour in the morning, just before hitting the mill stones. He has never in all his years taken this measure before. This is the miller’s refinement in action, he is like a detective trying different theories until something works. And it must be added that the milling fee to us is exactly the same, regardless of how much of this extra mental and physical work goes into it.
Now we turn our attention, albeit briefly, from grain to grapes. This coming Thursday is Beaujolais Nouveau day, when the first wines of the current vintage are released. This year, as always, our allocation is tight, so ordering is recommended. Jean-Claude Lapalu's Nouveau is always a delight - bright as a button, red-fruited and refreshing, lovely slightly chilled and equally happy being glugged with abandon or sipped with a simple supper.
That's all for this week. As ever, a huge thank you for reading and we hope to see you soon,
Kate and Hugo