The Real Bread Campaign, part of the charity Sustain, kindly asked for our expertise in all things bread on their discussion panel at Latitude Festival in Suffolk. There were four of us on the panel, including Alexander Aitchison from Acre Farm, a chef, baker, and regenerative soil enthusiast; Abel Holsborough from Brixton Windmill, an artist and lead miller; Chris Young, who coordinates the Real Bread Campaign; and me, Lauren Rathbone, a food-loving registered dietitian at The School of Artisan Food.
The topic of conversation was better-bred bread. We covered a range of topics, from farming practices to sustainability and from the Chorleywood Process to sourdough. The range of expertise on the panel demonstrated how bread, despite being a staple food, filters into different areas of the food system, including its impact on health, its influence on and by the environment, society as a whole, and individual skill sets.
An interesting question an audience member posed was how we can ensure everyone has access to good-quality bread. One response was that we need to become accustomed to paying more for our food. I countered that while we do spend a lower percentage of our income on food compared to other countries, some communities simply do not have any additional disposable income to spend on food. I witnessed this firsthand in our local food hub set up by the Bassetlaw Food Insecurity Network, where one member mentioned that having access to affordable food meant she could actually put money onto her electricity meter this week. Furthermore, a recent report from The Food Foundation indicated that the most deprived fifth of UK households would need to spend 50% of their disposable income in order to eat in accordance with government recommendations for a healthy diet. You can read more about this report here. Put simply, for many families in the UK, providing nutritious food at the table is not a straightforward choice.
We spoke about the work we are doing with the Best Food Forward project, a food education initiative here at The School of Artisan Food, which demonstrates how cost-effective it can be to make bread yourself using basic ingredients when you have the proper knowledge. For example, I discussed the fantastically simple yet delicious no-knead focaccia that Kev, our Head of Baking, taught me when I first started here. We have made this bread with hundreds of students at the school, and it exemplifies what the campaign refers to as 'Real Bread’, made without chemical raising agents, so-called processing aids, or any other additives.
I believe what spoke louder than the actual conversation in the tent was the fact that it was a full house. It is wonderful that so many people chose to take time out of their music festival to discuss the incredibly varied topic of bread. It is reassuring to know that we are not alone in our enthusiasm for food and its impact on our health and the environment.
Lauren Rathbone, who leads @TheBestFoodForwardProject at @SchoolofArtisanFood
Alexander Aitchison, co-founder of @Acre_Farm
Abel Holsborough @akidinlondon, lead miller at @BrixtonWindmill
LAUREN RATHBONE
Project Director
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