Does anyone buy in bulk? We seem to be getting through a loaf or two a day at the moment* and I’m wondering if there’s any economy of scale to be had by buying in bulk. Storage wouldn’t be a problem, and ideally looking for someone local(ish) to North Hampshire, East Wiltshire, South Berkshire sort of area.

Anyone do this?

*Made in the Kenwood, cooked in the Aga, so sort of on-trend for the STW masseeev. 😉

Gloustershire but deliver: http://www.shipton-mill.com/shops-and-wholesalers/full-range-of-larger-sacks

Based in Berkshire but deliver: http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/sack-flour/sack-flour/

Dorset: http://www.stoatesflour.co.uk/

Trip to Shipton Mill! Or:
http://www.sharphampark.com

Would have thought Doves Farm would be best bet. Hmmm…bread consumption that high? Explains a lot. 😀

Are you bulk buying butter too?

this chap will sort you out when he sobers up.

[video]http://youtu.be/dsj29y7URNk?t=2m38s[/video]

Prices for a 25kg bag + delivery seems about £27 which is pretty much exactly what it would cost for the same amount of Waitrose Canadian & Strong White. So not as much of a saving as I thought it would be.

So those Waitrose loafs cost less than 60p, I’m impressed

or is that just a flour they do?

flour

Out of interest what % protein is it?

TBH the likes of Doves Farm & Shipton’s are only tiny producers so don’t have the economy of scale that the producers the supermarkets buy from do.

I’d have thought all those tubers would have made you at least a little bit taller, DD! Feeky little chucker! 😀

Prices for a 25kg bag + delivery seems about £27 which is pretty much exactly what it would cost for the same amount of Waitrose Canadian & Strong White. So not as much of a saving as I thought it would be.

Hmm. So, not really a cost thing, but might be a convenience/quality thing. Thanks for the pointers here, folks.

Not sure if this flour meets with STW approval as it is the first one I’ve tried making bread with but Allison’s Very Strong Wholemeal is currently on offer at Tesco for £1 for 1.5kg bag.

This certainly will not meet the STW standard, but Aldi do a great quality plain flour in 1.5kg bags for 45p and strong white for 79p.

I much prefer it to any of the big brands, except Shiptons No1 and type 55 which are also lovely.

Also, my last order from Shiptons was £21 for a 25kg sack which is not too bad.

Edit, I saved the delivery charges by getting my local friendly bakers to add mine to their next order, too.

Waitrose Canadian & Very Strong White flour is 14.9% protein.

Careful if keeping large amount around for a while with bugs that chomp their way through the stuff.

Waitrose Canadian & Very Strong White flour is 14.9% protein.

Which is ridiculously unnecessary…

OP,

Make sure you store everything in air and water tight containers otherwise you get pantry bugs having a party at your expense.

I have plenty of them partying in my kitchen and if they party in my rice then I would have them as added source of protein … 😆

On the storage thing, at the family home in India they store grain from the harvest in the store room(along with rice and lentils in mini solos). When you need some flour you take a sack to the miller (a whole street of little millers/cane pressers/hay choppers) wait while it’s milled.

When you need some flour you take a sack to the miller (a whole street of little millers/cane pressers/hay choppers) wait while it’s milled.

The next STW Lifestyle Essential?

KoMo Grain Mill

I get mine from http://www.wessexmill.co.uk/ (and would recommend).

Never mind that silly little thing I have something similar to this to play with, 350 tonne a day of almost any flour you like apart from (technically) stoneground.

I’ve had good results from big sacks of chapati flour from an Asian supermarket. I Normally mix it with a bit of strong white flour. Lidl’s seems fine.

Ooh lovely colour matched Buhler kit and double roll stands. Cleaners have done a good job on the floor too.

I used to supply IT systems to the food industry. One thing I learned was that all the big brands blend their products to get a consistent result. So occasionally they would have too much of their best quality ingredient and would have to get rid of it in the Aldi or Lidl bags.

So from time to time Aldi frozen peas would be the best you can buy and Lidl flour was superb. But not usually.

And flour goes off, so don’t bulk buy.

And in all my time visiting sites there were only two factory floors I would “eat my dinner off”. Pets Choice dogfood factory in Blackburn and Bentley Motors in Crewe. And I’ve never been put off any brand by seeing what goes into it.

My phone line get blown down in a storm, gets back online and then gasps at the birth of another STW niche activity. Flour power.

Could try eling tide mill, if you’re willing to slum it in Totton 😯

No idea what their volume prices are like, though – by the bag it’s bloody steep

Sandwich – Member
Ooh lovely colour matched Buhler kit and double roll stands. Cleaners have done a good job on the floor too.

It’s not the mill I work at but TBH ours looks better IMO more stainless steel (I know you worked in a flour mill) ours are a mix of double deck MDDL & single deck MDDK units.

I’ve worked in the milling industry for over 25 years and despite all the guff spouted about organic flour, I doubt many would chose the stuff from those mills if they saw their BRC scores 😉

MrO

Ours used to smell of pledge whenever there was a top brass visit. All single deck stands as it was early 80’s kit, though we were used for development for things like flour damping. I also had the pleasure of a clean-up after a sprinkler discharge to a hopper fire caused by said flour damping. 🙁

I don’t miss the constant jet lag for 8 weeks, I do miss the 18 day breaks though.