"Mixed feelings - not for ‘artisan’ bakers. Overall I would not recommend. Maybe for CD as host suffers from it"

I have a mixed feelings about my experience . This was purchased for me as a gift. My intention was to perfect my artisan sourdough bakes but the course was more about making one type of sourdough made from stoneground flour using long term fermentation, which requires to mix ingredients, place in a fridge for 24h, briefly shape and ferment for another 24 before baking. There was no kneading techniques, autolyzing or different proving schedules, etc and total hands on time was about 20 min, the rest was done by the host. The course is held in a small church village hall not in Martock as per website and looks very different. The bread is not as per website neither which is misleading if that’s what you are looking for. It is more aimed at people with celiac disease or other gluten intolerances. I didn’t appreciate the negative comments host made towards other bakers referring to them ‘so called artisan bakers’ and how bad their you tube videos are. Or when a flour producer ‘wild farmed’ was suggested to him he dismissed it without knowing anything about it. There is no dispute that the bread is healthy and better than supermarket one but all the other claims about it such as weight loss or covid protection etc are made based on hosts personal experience, and conclusions from google research and documentaries. Most of the time is spent listening to the host conclusions about history, food industry politics and his way of doing things. You are definitely not left with a desire to create and enjoy the art of baking. When questioned about necessity of 48h fermentation as opposed to 24-36 h (which I currently do) I was met with ‘why wouldn’t you want to extract the best nutrition our way’ rather than a scientific comparison of fermentation timings. Host mentioned research paper from 2011 done on celiac which only advises that full hydrolysation of gluten is achieved by adding specifically selected bacterium and fungus rather than time of fermentation. Shame the host chose to be defensive rather than informative. Perhaps he didn’t know.
Lastly, I had a brief conversation with the host’s wife about our accents as we both aren’t British born. When I mentioned she sounds like from my part of the world, she laughed and said the only time she was mistaken by my nationality she was cleaning toilets in the churches hall! Im not sure she realised what she said but never came to apologise, not even when I said it is not so bad to be my national. Didn’t get the hint.


Nonetheless, the locally sourced stoneground flour used (not sprouted as per website) made a delicious bread, also leftover started crisps were tasty.

"Thoroughly enjoyable and informative…"

Thoroughly enjoyable and informative day. Now avidly making loaves of sourdough (will let you know if I get thin eating it all 😂) which are a real treat. Michael is very knowledgeable and I will have to attend again to pick up the bits I missed. Thank you and keep up the good work.

"Very informative and enjoyable workshop"

Very informative and enjoyable workshop

"Wonderful day"

We had a really entertaining and interesting day. We learnt so much about the true origin of sourdough bread and it’s genuine nutrient qualities and huge benefits that it gives to us all. Michael is a mine of information. It was great fun and I would recommend it to everyone.

"a fascinating day with Michael at the…"

a fascinating day with Michael at the bakery,
inspiring passion for the subject,
preventative medicine at its finest!
Highly recommend this course to anyone who values good food,
and the soil it comes from.
Many thanks
Ian

"Enjoyed a great day preparing and…"

Enjoyed a great day preparing and making sourdough. Michael was a wonderful host and teacher, incredibly knowledgeable on the subject and made the whole experience, interesting, fun and productive! Can't recommend it enough.

"Excellent bread making course"

I enjoyed a fantastic day learning the art of making sour dough bread. I would highly recommend it. Many thanks.

"Michael’s Flour is excellent"

Michael’s Flour is excellent
and produces a complex rich satisfying loaf with excellent crust, crumb and health benefits.

His flour is easy to work with and Michael is a delightful teacher. On his course he demystifies sourdough baking down to its essentials, to make an excellent sourdough bread with minimal handling time. Working with him was like watching a fast forward video: I learned about milling, flour quality, sourdough and baking- the framework for my baking future. Far more than many of the professional baking course I’ve been on. Thank you Michael!

"Hugely educational"

Hugely educational, I had tried making sour dough before and hadn't succeeded. All the little tips were fab. Am no longer buying bread but making our own and even for the neighbours. Thank you Michael

"Amazing sourdough bread making"

My day spent with Michael was really valuable. He was informative and ensured I had a full understanding of the process of making sourdough bread. The day was interactive and I am someone who learns by experiencing so it was ideal. I came home with items from each step of the process and a clear set of instructions. I would recommend this experience to anyone involved or interested in making bread.