Thirty years ago I can remember buying warm loaves of bread from bakers, wrapped in paper not plastic, and excitedly pulling bits off to eat before I even got home. Today over 50% of the bread we eat in the UK is dominated by just 3 brands (Warburtons, Hovis and Kingsmill). Three big companies Allied Bakeries (Kingsmill, Allinson, Burgen and Sunblest), Premier Foods (Hovis, Hovis Nimble, Mothers Pride, and Ormo) and Warburtons (who also make Weight Watchers) dominate the industry.
In this blog I've tried to visit small independent bakeries (like Flower Power City Bakery, G P Snape & Sons, Prices, and Richard C. Swift Ltd. They're exciting places to visit, - their products may not keep as long as some of the mass produced products, but in our house they're usually eaten well before they've had chance to go stale!
It's hard sometimes to work out what is genuine artisan bread and what has been bought from big companies like Brake Bros Ltd La Boulangerie business and merely finished off on the premises. Does it matter if the product tastes good?
If you'd like to try some traditionally made bread, the Real Bread Campaign has a Real Bread Finder on its web site.
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