If you’ve visited Willow Grange Farm Shop you may have been treated to the scent of Neil’s freshly baked sourdough drifting from the bread baskets. Or you might have tried some from the cafe’s seasonal changing menu (the Scandi Plate featuring the Pumpernickel loaf served with smoked salmon and soft-boiled egg is our favourite)! In this spotlight, we get to know the story behind Neil’s golden-crusted loaves, exploring the passion and expertise that goes into every batch.
About Bread by Neil
Bread by Neil is a sourdough micro-bakery, producing small batches of hand made bread, from his oven in Ely. Neil has been baking bread for the past 20 years, rarely buying a loaf for the last ten, and 15 years ago decided to make the leap to become an official bread maker! Starting with a bread machine, Neil’s loaves have evolved through hand made yeasted to the black art that is sourdough!
The loaves
Neil’s bread is made by hand using natural products that are organic and locally sourced wherever possible. Sourdough is made from three simple ingredients – flour, salt and water – and Neil’s batch contains no hidden nasties like you might find in a supermarket loaf.
The bread uses a range of different flours such as organic white wheat flour, stoneground organic wholemeal rye and organic stoneground spelt. The dough is developed for up to 24 hours which allows time for flavours to fully develop, and makes bread that is nutritious, digestible and with a lower glycemic index than standard industrially produced bread.
When is the bread available?
Neil bakes and delivers to us on a Wednesday and Friday and we mix it up with different loaves each week, though you will usually find the staple ‘The Don’ – a 100% white wheat sourdough – on the shelves.
The bread is so popular if often sells-out, so make sure you get in quick! If you have a special occasion coming-up then chat to us about pre-ordering your loaves. Just email us at info@willowgrangefarm.co.uk.
Sourdough bread has a naturally longer shelf life than a normal yeasted loaf and will keep for 4-5 days in a bread bin or bag at room temperature, or up to 3 months when frozen on the day of purchase.
Our favourites
We love something a little unusual, like the Umami sourdough loaf with extra wholemeal flour, sesame seeds and Japanese miso. The Country Batard is a great option if you have fewer mouths to feed – it’s a smaller version of the Country Loaf, a rustic bread made from a blend of white wheat, wholemeal rye and wholemeal spelt flours. And who can resist the sticky sweetness of the Sourdough Cinnamon Bun!
Whether you’re a seasoned sourdough enthusiast or a newcomer to the joys of this artisanal bread, we look forward to seeing you in the Farm Shop soon to grab your loaf!
