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Companions

Originally meaning one with whom you share bread, we reckon that companion is the ideal name for those with whom we share similar aims and values.

 If there’s anything that's relevant to our work and aims that you think we should add here, please send an email to let us know.

NB -  THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISING SITE, SIMPLY A NON-EXHAUSTIVE DIRECTORY OF RELEVANT ORGANISATIONS/ITEMS OF WHICH WE'RE AWARE.   WE'RE NOT IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF THEM, INCLUSION HERE DOES NOT NECESSARILY IMPLY RECOMMENDATION OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE REAL BREAD CAMPAIGN AND THERE ARE MANY MORE OUT THERE.

The Real Bread Campaign/Sustain has no control over the content of any external site. You venture beyond our pages at your own risk but that said - enjoy exploring.

Our funders and partners

Local Food The main funder of the Real Bread Campaign
Sheepdrove Organic Farm Our other major funder
Real Bread Campaign members - your subscription fees and local activity are vital to the continued existence of the campaign

Bread Matters Formal partner to the Real Bread Campaign, run by our co-founder, Andrew Whitley
The Real Food Festival A key ally in the Stick One on Em! campaign

Independent mills

NB - Most mills produce a wide range of flours. If you have specific questions  (where the wheat was grown, organic or 'conventional' farming, if any 'improver' has been added, whether it was stoneground or roller milled etc.) of any given flour, please check with the miller in question.  Many offer a bespoke service for commercial bakers.

Please always check the ingredients list of a bag of flour - even some organic flours have added enzymes and ascorbic acid.  For information on what has to be added to UK milled wheat flour (but not declared on the label) click here.

Artisan Bread Organic Stone milled rye, spelt, wheat. Rice, quinoa, buckwheat and linseed flours are all produced on a separate mill.
Bacheldre Watermill Range includes some stoneground organic and local flours
Denver Windmill - stoneground range includes locally-grown wheat, barley, spelt and rye.
Doves Farm  Producers and suppliers of a range of organic flours, milled from combinations of UK and other grain. Range includes both stoneground and roller milled products.
Gilchesters Organics stoneground flour from organic grain grown on their own land in Northumberland. Range includes spelt and heritage wheats
Maple Farm Kelsale flour from organic rye, wheat and spelt grown and stone-milled on the farm in Suffolk
FWP Mathews Cotswolds based millers. Some flours organic and some from British wheat
W&H Marriage Based in Chelmesford, Essex. Range includes some organic and some stone ground flours. Offers a bespoke service for commercial bakers
Sharpham Park Gloucestershire-based growers and millers of  100% British, organically grown stoneground spelt flour
Shipton Mill Range includes some stoneground and organic flours, some produced using UK-grown grain
NR Stoates Dorset-based millers of stoneground organic flour, some lines using grain grown locally to the mill
Tamarisk Farm Mills organic 100% wholemeal wheat (Maris Wigeon) and rye flours from grain grown on the farm in Dorset
Wessex Mill Wantage, Oxfordshire a range of seeded and malted wheat, rye and spelt flours, some using wheat from around the mill. The names of the farms used in the grist can be found on the bag.
Winchester City Mill National Trust water mill using the River Itchen to produce 100% stoneground wholemeal flour from English bread wheat
Wright's based in Enfield. Range includes some flours milled from 100% British wheat
Yorkshire Organic Millers produces stoneground flour using only locally grown Organic grain (wheat and spelt), all milled on site and mostly sold locally

Other sources of information on Mills:

The Traditional Cornmillers Guild represents many of our remaining wind and water powered mills that produce stoneground flour, some using locally grown grain
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings has a specialist section for mills, some of which still produce flour
NABIM (National Association of British and Irish Millers) Website provides more information on the UK and Irish milling industries

Starters and other yeast

Here are just some places to find fresh yeast.  Several of the books and websites further down this page also give instructions to start your own sourdough starter but  if you don't fancy that, some members of the Real Bread community might be willing to help.  Please let us know if you can add to the following list...

  • Real Bread bakeries - if you ask nicely, a local Real Bread bakery might sell you some fresh yeast or perhaps even some of their precious starter.
  • Courses - If you go on a course that covers sourdoughs, they might well send you home with some starter.  
  • Supermarkets - we've received several emails from people who suggest asking a local supermarket with an in-store bakery (one where they bake from scratch, not just a loaf tanning salon) for some. Success seems to vary from store to store even within a chain, with different branches quoting different prices and versions of 'company policy.'
  • National Collection of Yeast Cultures - The experts on all things yeasty. One only for those of you who are very serious after getting hold of a particular strain of yeast and prepared to bulk up from a small sample (which costs consideraby more than a packet from the supermarket) to a useable quantity.  

Arjuna Wholefoods, Cambridge - fresh yeast

The Bertinet Kitchen, Bath & mail-order - starter and fresh yeast (500g packs packs of 8 x 42g blocks and yeast for a year scheme - one block every month for 12 months)   
Bushwhacker Wholefoods, London W6 - fresh yeast
Daily Bread co-operative, Cambridge - fresh yeast
Doughblogs, the internet - starter
Flour Power City, Borough Market and Tunbridge Wells - fresh yeast
The Loaf, Crich, Derbyshire - fresh yeast
Price & Sons, Ludlow - fresh yeast
The Scandinavian Kitchen, London W1W - fresh yeast
Unpackaged, London EC1 - fresh yeast
Wessex Mill, Wantage - starter
Wild Yeast Bakery, nr Gloucester - starter
Wye Bakery, Wye, Kent - fresh yeast

Active dried yeast

Brands of active dried yeast that are free of any artificial additives. 

NB - Instant/fast acting yeast produced by any of the companies on this list might not necessarily be additive free.

Allinsons
Doves Farm

Instant/fast acting yeast

Brands of instant/fast acting/easy-bake yeast that we have been told by the manufacturers are free of any artificial additives. 

Bacheldre Mill
BioReal

So far, all other brands of instant/fast acting/easy yeast we've looked at contain one or more artificial additives.

Equipment etc.

For both domestic and professional Real Bread bakers

Armstrong Brick Ovens brick ovens, funnily enough
Baker Tweet a way for busy bakers to tell their Twitter followers that it's bun-time. Or bread time. Or whatever
Bakery Bits sells, well, erm, bakery bits - peels, bannetons, scrapers
bakeriesworld.com  a large directory of suppliers of bakery equipment, ingredients and more
Becketts new and used professional baking equipment
Benier professional baking equipment
The Bertinet Kitchen a wide range of small equipment including scrapers, couche, lames, linen lined proving baskets and peels.
Blistering Barbecues wood-fied ovens to hire for events
Bluestone Outdoor Wood Fired Bread Ovens wood fired ovens
Brook Food Processing Equipment new and used professional baking equipment
Brow Farm domestic flour mills and UK grown milling wheat
Dingley Dell wood-fired ovens for sale or hire
Earth Ovens wood-fired oven-building courses
Forno Bravo wood-fired ovens for sale
Four and Twenty Blackbirds 'Brings historical cookery to life' period demos and workshops include flour milling and baking
Grains2Mill domestic flour mills
Highfield Farm mobile wood-fired pizza oven available to hire for events
Hot Rocks mobile wood-fired pizza oven available to hire for events
Invicta bakeware baking tins, sheets, trays, racks, provers, willow baskets, the kitchen sink...
Italiano Forni domestic and professional wood-fired ovens for sale and available to hire for events
Lakeland manual grain mill, containers and other small items, many domestic
Modern Baking Systems new and used professional baking equipment (includes ratings system for reconditioned stock)
Orchard ovens sell commercial and domestic outdoor ovens
Panary wood-fired brick ovens for bread, pizzas etc. plus related equipment
Pizza Dragon wood-fired ovens to hire for events
Primus Ouwelfabriek BV edible rice paper labels that can be baked onto loaves (UK agent - helen.primus [at] yahoo.co.uk)
Scobie McIntosh new and used professional baking equipment
Target Catering Equipment wood fired oven and offer a bespoke bakehouse design and build service
UK Juicers domestic flour mills
WonderMill UK domestic flour mills
Wood Fired Ovens sole distributors of Four Grand Mere ovens in the UK
Wood World Wide by Williams handmade bread/chopping boards

See also our notes on finding and passing on second-hand bread machines, which are also relevant to other domestic and professional baking equipment.

Local food

Community enterprise, co-operatives, transition and more

Community Supported Agriculture Soil Association guidance that can be adapted to bakeries
Food Coops advice on setting up a group to help you bring Real Bread and other fresh food into your community
Making Local Food Work offers business support, advice and mentoring for food-based community enterprises
Transition Network working towards establishing sustainable, resilient local food networks
Co-operativesUK assist third sector organisations to become incorporated (not just co-operatives) and offer long-term governance and legal support for those co-operatives that are members of Co-operativesUK
Towns-4-Towns lets towns share the initiatives that have worked in their communities so that nobody has to reinvent the wheel. Can help with funding
Local Food Advisor does exactly what is says, really
Slow Food UK movement that promotes the enjoyment and protection of locally-produced food products
Brockwell Bake Andy Forbes and co. upholding Real Bread values in and around Brixton
Taste Real Food UK not-for-profit voluntary association whose members care about and wish to enjoy, explore and promote the Taste of Real Food.

Local food directories

In addition to our Real Bread Finder, here are some other sites on which Real Bread bakers can advertise their wares. Some may charge for their services.

The Artisan Food Trail 'enables foodies, chefs, restaurants,local shops, etc. to source quality food with a difference.'
BigBarn.co.uk online market place for local food, with a love for keeping it real
FoodLoversBritain.com Local food expert Henrietta Green and her team focus on all things bread related
Free Range Review free local food producer listing site, with reviews by other users
Good Food Network free local food producer listing site. Allows bakers signed up to The Real Bread Loaf Mark scheme to use the mark in their GFN profile.

Grain matters

The Organic Research Centre Elm Farm works to "develop and support sustainable land-use, agriculture and food systems, primarily within local economies, which build on organic principles to ensure the health and well-being of soil, plant, animal, man and his environment."
John Innes Centre  details of JIC's landrace wheat project
Rothamstead  the largest agricultural research centre in the UK
Home Grown Cereal Authority
DEFRA information on national seed register regulations
Healthgrain Exploiting Bioactivity of European Cereal Grains for Improved Nutrition and Health Benefits, an Integrated Project of the European Union's Sixth Framework Programme's "Food Quality and Safety" activity (Priority 5)
Our Daily Bread a blog 'following grains through the food system in the UK and Germany'
Wheat: the Bigger Picture the life cycle of wheat by the School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University
Varietal innovation and the competitiveness of the British cereals sector, 1760-1930, John R. Walton, The Agricultural History Review, volume 47 part 1 (1999)

Virtual bread

A selection of other online resources, jam packed with relevant info.  At times, some of them stray away from our definition of Real Bread but they all appear to pretty much share our values.

The Artisan Content galore for the bread enthusiast
BBC Food
Channel 4 Food Has a section of bread recipes
Dan Lepard Recipes, a very active bakers’ forum, advice and more from the well-respected artisan baker and teacher
Doughblogs  Order your sourdough starter from the Doughman and keep track on how your fellow ‘lovers of louche leaven’ are getting on with theirs
The Fresh Loaf A well-equipped online community for bakers
Loaves of Love inspiring people to join together to form baking circles to learn and then pass on bread making skills
Bread Secrets info, advice, a blog and more for breadheads at all levels
Cooking Bread American site with large recipe database
Bakery Matters online forum for professional bakers
Baking For Britain a baking fanatic's journey around the baking of these isles
Breadtopia baking videos galore
A Bread A Day blog documenting 'a year-long adventure in bread making'
Breadcetera 'An obsessive’s quest for professional quality baked goods from a home kitchen'
The Craft Baker 'Celebrating local loaves and providing a personal, positive response to the challenge of getting Real Bread back on our tables..'
Good Food Channel Has a Real Bread Campaign page and a section of bread recipes
Virtuous Bread 'forging the link between eating well and doing good'
Well Bread Campaign member Dilly Boase on her adventures in bread
Why I Love Organic from the Organic Trade Board
Wood & Pizza Oven UK Forum a place to ask for and share wood-fired bread/pizza oven ideas and information

Pan global

We often receive emails from people outside the UK looking for Real Bread locally and wanting to find or even start a similar campaign in their own countries. Sadly we're limited to the state of bread in Britain (though that's a big enough job in itself) but here are some links to breadheads overseas who might be able to help.

Artisan Baker Association Australian organisation for committed artisanal bakers
Sourdough.com sister site to artisanbaker.com.au and haven for all matters sourdough
Sourdoughbaker.com more LAB loving Aussies
breadexperience.com America site including recipes, a blog, reviews, equipment and the Bake Your Own Bread online community
www.elforodelpan.com strong focus on home-made Real Bread (Spanish)
www.lamemoriadelpan.com interviews with master bakers and articles on bakeries and bread (Spanish)
Wild Yeast blog from bread fan and San Francisco Baking Institute Student, Susan Tenney
All Things Bread blog by William Alexander, author of 52 Breads
Bread Bakers Guild of America offers support to artisan bakers Stateside
Northwest Sourdough blog by Teresa Greenway, author of the ebook Discovering Sourdough
Weekend Bakery advice from 'artisan home micro bakers' in the Netherlands
Der Sauerteig German forum for sourdough fans from all nations. The host invites memebers to post in whatever language suits them best.
sodabread.info As soda loaves fall outside our area of interest, you could try these people...

Bread waste

Bread should be treasured, not wasted - here are organisations helping to make sure that it isn't

Food Works
Food Cycle
WRAP
Love Food Hate Waste

Bookshelf

Being such a staple, bread is the subject of many books. Here are just a few that look at the subject in quite some breadth and/or depth. Several are available in later editions and/or paperback. Some may be out of print but can be found through second-hand/antiquarian bookshops.

NB The categories are not exclusive: i.e. some books in the domestic list might be of use and interest to the professional and vice versa, and there is theoretical content in some of the more practical books.

Special offer! The Campaign's book,  Knead to Know: the Real Bread starter, is out NOW Click here for details of an exclusive 33% discount.

Domestic

Bourke Street Bakery, Paul Allam & David McGuiness, Murdoch Books (2010) 
The Sunday Times Book of Real Bread, Michael Bateman and Heather Maisner, Rodale Press (1982)
Dough / Crust, Richard Bertinet,  Kyle Cathie (2005 / 2007)
How to Make Bread, Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, Ryland Peters & Small, (2011)
Five Minute Bread, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, Ebury Press (2011)
The Handmade Loaf, Dan Lepard, Mitchell Beazley (2004)
Warm Bread and Honey Cake, Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra, Pavilion (2009)
Tartine Bread, Chad Robertson, Chronicle Books (2010)
The Staffordshire Oatcake, a history, Pamela Sambrook, Carnegie Publishing (2009)
River Cottage Handbook No. 3: Bread, Daniel Stevens, Bloomsbury Publishing (2009)
The Traditional Cornmillers Guild Book of Recipes, TCMG, TCMG (availble from TCMG mills or by mail order)
Bread Matters, Andrew Whitley, Fourth Estate (2006)

Professional

Manna, Walter Banfield, McLaren (1937)
Technology of Breadmking, Stanley Cauvain & Linda Young, Springer (2007) read preview online
Bread baking: an artisan's perspective, Daniel T. DiMuzio, John Wiley & Sons (2009)
Artisan Baking, Maggie Glezer, Workman Publishing (2000)
Discovering Sourdough, Teresa Greenway, e-book (2010)
Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, Jeffrey Hamelman, John Wiley & Sons (2004)
Breadcraft, JR Irons, Hudson and Stracey (1934)  read preview online
The Modern Baker, Confectioner and Caterer, John Kirkland, Gresham Books (1907) the text of Vol. 2 of six is availalble here
The Village Baker: Classic Regional Breads from Europe and America, Joe Ortiz, Ten Speed Press (1993)
Knead to Know: the Real Bread starter, the Real Bread Campaign, Sustain (2011)
The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Peter Reinhart, Ten Speed Press (2001)

Theory/history

Bread Street: The British baking bloomer?, Mel Barrett, Sustain publications (2004) out of print but available to download
Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History, H.E. Jacob, The Lyons Press (1997) read preview online
Good Bread is Back, Steven Lawrence Kaplan, Duke University Press (2007) read preview online
English Bread and Yeast Cookery , Elizabeth David, Allen Lane (1977)
Loaf, Crust and Crumb, Silvija Davidson, Michael Joseph (1995)
McGee on Food & Cooking, Harold McGee, Hodder and Stoughton (2004)

Traditional ovens

The Forgotten Art of Building and Using a Brick Bake Oven: How to Date, Renovate or Use an Existing Brick Oven, or to Construct a New One, Richard M Bacon, Alan C. Hood & Company (2005)
Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost Wood-Fired Mud Oven; Simple Sourdough Bread; Perfect Loaves, Kiko Denzer and Hannah Field, Hand Print Press (3rd edition April 2007)
Building a Wood-fired Oven for Bread and Pizza,Tom Jaine, Prospect Books (1996)
Your Brick Oven: Building it and Baking in it, Russell Jeavons, Grub Street (2005)
The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens, Daniel Wing and Alan Scott, Chelsea Green (1999)

Kids

Most children's baking books in the UK seem to concentrate on cakes and biscuits, with only one or two bread recipes, and often even those are leavened with baking powder. Here are some that look more at Real Bread.

Baking Bread with Children, Warren Lee Cohen, Hawthorn Press (2008)
Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat, George Levenson and Shmuel Thaler, Tricycle Press, (reprint 2009)
Bread, P. B. Roscoe, Ladybird (1977)
The Little Red Hen (a traditional Russian folk tale, retold by many authors)
Tractor Ted Makes Bread (DVD), Tractorland Ltd (2001)
TES The Times Educational Supplement site has a whole range of bread-related resources for teachers

And of course there are the Campaign's own Lessons in Loaf teacher's guide and Bake Your Lawn grassroots guide, both free to download here.

You might also like to investigate these American lists of bread books for kids and children.

Please do let us know if you've found any bread books aimed at children particularly useful.

Finding books

Organisations that could help you find a local independent bookshop include:

The British Library - in theory has every book published in the UK in its catalogue
iilu.com lists an enormous number of bread books

The campaign for real...

Ale
Farming
Food
Gravy
Pet food
Recycling

Again, neither the Real Bread Campaign or Sustain has any control over the content of external sites or endorses the views of organisations listed and that you venture beyond our pages at your own risk. That said, enjoy exploring.