Old Quarry Farm Aquaponics

01/03/2025

A very frosty morning.
I'd much rather be inside baking bread!

And that's exactly what we'll be doing soon.
We have another course set for the middle of March which is fully booked already. Would any of you like to get your place reserved for the next available course?

24/02/2025

Very sad indeed.
It's mainly the National Insurance and 16% increase in minimum wage that's done the damage but the end result is still businesses going under.

22/02/2025

a quick video of the loaves fresh out of the oven.

Prepped last night by our students and shaped and baked this morning. Fresh out of the oven and smelling delicious.
Do you want to be able to make this at home?

22/02/2025

Fresh out of the oven ten minutes ago.
This weekend's students have produced an oven full of perfect loaves first time.

12/02/2025

www.facebook.com/realbreadcampaign/posts/pfbid0ZZs225cHNhm4qiNS5CeaLsZJo1ymvPEZ34VWUG9A7u5aX2mDjTbwZXBzawzRBKTLl

Because you can't trust 'Big Bread' anymore you really need to learn how to make your own!
Come and learn with us.

This is Dr. Thomas Allinson, one of the original Real Bread campaigners - long, long before there was a Real Bread Campaign.

A staunch advocate of minimally-processed foods, Allinson was pro stoneground, wholemeal flour and anti additives.

In 1915 he wrote: ‘When ground, nothing must be taken from it, nor must anything be added to the flour, and from this bread should be made.’

Many of us over-40s in the UK will remember the advertising slogan "Wi' nowt taken out" used by a brand that bore his name. We believe that Allinson taking a quick glance from beyond the grave, at the label of one of the UPF industrial dough products now sold in his name, would set him spinning in his:

Wholemeal wheat flour, water, wheat protein, fermented wheat flour, yeast, salt, oat bran, malted barley flour, vinegar, molasses sugar, vegetable oils (rapeseed, sustainable palm), emulsifiers: E471, E472e, sustainable soya flour, flour treatment agent: E300.

(Allinson's mill was in Bethnal Green, co-incidentally just a few minutes' walk from where the Real Bread Campaign is now based.)

12/02/2025

We have a last minute space that has opened up for our bread course on 21st & 22nd February. If you'd like to join us for Friday evening and Saturday morning until around lunchtime you can learn how to make the best bread you've ever tasted (so we've been told!).
We also have two spaces for our 14th & 15th March course if you can't make the 21st & 22nd Feb.
Message us or email [email protected] if you want to come along on either of those dates.

08/02/2025

Would you like to be able to produce something this gorgeous?
😍 🍞

08/02/2025

The first tray of loaves come out of the oven from our first bread making course!
These are absolutely stunning quality! First time making this bread and it can't be faulted.

16/01/2025

Charles and I have recovered from the shut down of the shop and have, after the further Christmas/New Year recovery, put together the long promised bread making secrets course that we promised you all late last year.

The art (and science) of traditional real bread-making should be (and used to be) at the heart of every home kitchen. It is satisfying, nutritious and of course extremely tasty.

We believe that our method, honed over many years by Bruce and Charles, can be taught to anyone who is willing to follow instructions and wants to eat good bread. So convinced are we that you can make good bread, we don't think you need to have any more experience of cooking than turning a dial on a microwave!

Over a 2 day period on our course you will learn:-

what defines real bread and how it's been ruined over the years through chemical tinkering,

how to choose the best ingredients,

mix dough the easy way without all that pummelling,

where to leave your dough while the dough ferments,

understand the science behind every step,

prepare the tins properly,

shape the dough,

learn how to recognise well proved dough

how to use an ordinary home oven to produce the same high quality loaves we’ve been baking for many years in our commercial kitchen.

PLUS you’ll also learn how to make Charles’ best chocolate brownies and enjoy tea/coffee etc with plenty of opportunity to quiz us both about all the details.

Once that's all done you'll take home the four loaves (two Honeyed Wholemeal plus another two of one flavour choice from the list below) you've baked and also have the chance to buy all the equipment (short of your oven and kitchen units!) you'll need to get started- if you don't already have it at home.
You'll take home the instructions you need and full recipe list for the following loaves:- White, Wholemeal, Rye, Honeyed Wholemeal Oat, Four Seed, Walnut Cinnamon & Raisin, Sundried Tomato Basil & Olive and finally the Cheese loaf (although we won't have the option for the Cheese loaf to be made on the day due to extra time constraints involved).

We'll be running the course over a Friday evening and Saturday at the Old Quarry Farm Bakery which is attached to the shop premises. We will have no more than 4 people on each course so you will have a ratio of 2 people to one Baker (Bruce & Charles will both the there).

Competing courses in the South West we have examined run from £175 for a four hour course up to £295 for a course run over two days.

WE will be asking only £150 for our course which will run over two days and teach you all you 'knead to know'.

The first two courses will be run on 7th & 8th February and then on 21st & 22nd February. Once we have these booked in we will release more dates as required. The first day (Friday) will run from 7pm until around 10pm where we'll introduce the science and get the first part all prepped and mixed to allow time to ferment the dough so you can come back the following day (Saturday) at 9am to 'shape and bake'. We anticipate, all things being equal, being finished by mid afternoon and you'll be taking home your loaves and any kit you need.

Payment will be by Bank Transfer (or cash if you prefer) once we have confirmed your booking date. We will of course send payment details at the time.

We look forward to hearing from you shortly to let us know which date you prefer (first come, first booked) and seeing those of you who want to get stuck into the long history of bread making.

Bruce & Charles.

22/12/2024

A selection of just some of what has just been dropped off at the Courtenay Centre this evening at the community fridge.
We're now shut but hope that anyone who truly needs this finds out about it.
PLEASE share this with a many people as possible who need this.

22/12/2024

This is our last day of trading. We'll be open at 10.30am as usual and closing at 5.30pm for ever.
All our jarred, tinned and packet shelf stable goods were half price yesterday and they are today too!
On top of this we've decided our fruit and veg will go half price today PLUS we've got half price milk while it lasts.