#RealBreadWeek at Cardiff Farmers Markets
“Most people in the UK still have to put themselves out to eat great bread. For a product so central to our enjoyment of food, that is a disgrace. We need to demand the better bread we all deserve.”
- Tony Naylor, The Guardian
Real Bread Week is the annual, international celebration of Real Bread, and the people behind its rise.
Running from the 16th – 26th February this year, the campaign encourages us to buy real bread from local, independent bakeries, delis and farmer’s markets - and even to try baking our own bread at home.
#RealBreadWeek is run by Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming.
WHAT IS ‘REAL BREAD’ AND WHY SHOULD WE BE EATING IT?
‘Real Bread’ is defined as bread which is made without processing aids, or any other additives.
From this simple starting point, the Real Bread Week campaign is all about finding and sharing ways of making bread better for buyers, better for communities and better for the planet.
The desire is to see a switch away from processed, factory-produced, supermarket bread and instead, to develop a culture where fresh bread is made by independent bakeries that sustain more jobs per loaf, keep money circulating in local economies and keep local high streets alive.
The campaign also aims to shine a spotlight on bread which is free of pesticides and other agrochemicals - and encourages the use of all grain to be grown by biodynamic, certified organic or other low-to-no-input, sustainable farming methods.
To this end, the campaign works on the basis that by proactively seeking out ‘real bread’, we can all help to create a more level playing field for small businesses, local farmers and bakeries, helping the movement to grow and eventually thrive.
And research suggests that this is what the general public wants too; a recent Mintel study suggested that just over a third (34%) of people surveyed wanted to see more bread made with British flour, and 57% are willing to pay more for bread which supports British farmers.
REAL BREAD AT RIVERSIDE FARMERS’ MARKETS
You can find The Artisan Bakery at Riverside Farmers’ Market every Sunday.
Their freshly baked loaves of Portuguese bread are made to traditional methods, alongside their delicious (and addictive!) handmade pastel de natas.
You can find Pettigrew Bakery at Rhiwbina, Roath and Riverside Markets every weekend. This family run, independent business has been trading at Riverside Farmers’ Markets since 2016 and uses long, slow fermentation and bread baking skills and techniques which date back millennia. The Pettigrew house sourdough is made in the traditional way, with no additives, using only organic flour, water & salt - a labour of love which takes over three days to complete.
Likewise, you will find Riverside Sourdough at Roath and Riverside Markets every weekend.
They use only the ‘wild’ yeasts found naturally in flour to make their bread; these are cultured (similar to when you make yoghurt) until there’s enough to make a dough rise, which all takes time. The extra time and attention are what gives sourdough several nutritional benefits over other breads, including better iron absorption and a lower glycaemic index.
And as Mark from Riverside Sourdough puts it, “It’s only in the past few centuries that people realised they could make bread quicker by adding extra yeast, and only in the past few decades that people have remembered that quick bread isn’t necessarily good bread.”
To find out more about Real Bread Week, visit: www.sustainweb.org/realbread
You can also share your Real Bread Week bakes and buys on social media using #RealBreadWeek – don’t forget to tag us, too!