About

Bread Matters Ltd

In the world of baking, things are stirring. Fifty years after technicians at Chorleywood created the white sliced loaf as we know it, the backlash against its bland texture, undeclared additives and dubious digestibility is gathering pace. Sales of industrial bread are dropping while more and more people take matters into their own hands and start baking at home. A quiet revolution is happening, in which control of a key part of the diet is being reclaimed by ordinary people. Their bread journey brings many discoveries: that you can trust the words ‘freshly baked’ only when you open the oven door yourself, that better bread is made with fewer ingredients and more time to rise, and that sharing what you’ve baked with family, friends and neighbours brings fulfilment and companionship.
Any journey is best undertaken with a map, some idea of the terrain and suitable equipment. For these, as well as good guidance and cheerful support, look no further than Bread Matters.
The creation of Andrew Whitley, founder of the Village Bakery and co-founder of the Real Bread Campaign, Bread Matters runs the most authoritative courses on real breadmaking in the UK. Here, as well as having a lot of fun in a wonderful location, you’ll learn everything you need to know about fermentation and the various ways of making honest-to-goodness bread. It’s a completely hands-on process: learning by doing is best, especially under the watchful eye of the country’s leading artisan bakery teacher and campaigner.
Bread Matters offers courses at all levels of experience. Get started with Daily Bread or the popular Bread Matters Fundamental. Move on to Intermediate or study in depth with Sourdough Special or Gluten-Free Wheat-Free. For real enthusiasts, the Advanced course is a week immersed in bread and everything to do with it.
For some, bread baking becomes so intriguing that they produce more than they can eat, share the surplus with others and so take the first steps into commercial or community baking. The Baking for a Living and Baking for Community courses combine scaled-up baking skills with the organisational, financial and regulatory know-how required to get a small business off the ground.
So, whether you’re just starting out or a long-time baker, Bread Matters will help you on the way, with practical methods, relevant explanations and sturdy support.
Courses take place at the Bread Matters studio kitchen in Macbiehill Farmhouse, near West Linton, about 17 miles South of Edinburgh. It’s powered by renewable energy and the lovely view from the window over to the Broughton Hills takes in some of the 5-acre organic agro-forestry project that supplies Bread Matters with food, fuel and a diverse landscape.

• • View all 10 courses at Bread Matters Ltd
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