Starting out as an Engineer and Graphic Designer respectively, Matthew & Zoe Rawlings are the driving force behind The Great Northumberland Bread Company. Matthew started commercial baking in the Midlands 5 years ago. The bakery he started continues to be a success, however the local market demands changed the emphasis of the product they were making from traditional to mainstream, so he decided to revisit the types of bread they had originally wanted to make.
At the heart of their new plan was a wood fired oven which Matthew designed and built, finishing it in Spring 2007. The oven provides them with a very different baking means to that provided by electrically or gas fuelled ovens namely a large mass of masonry, saturated with heat which reduces gradually over time, provides a unique bread baking environment which in turn gives a distinct character to the final loaf. Furthermore the oven fuel is sustainable and with an abundance of residue timber from Ford & Etal's own forestry operation the choice of fuel and oven makes a lot of sense.
The oven is not the only part. Flour which comes from specially selected varieties is used, some of which is grown specifically for The Great Northumberland Bread Co. very close to Letham Hill.
What Matthew and Zoe say about their bread...
"We believe that quality and provenance of ingredients are by far the most important factors in selecting them. They must each be counted by their own merits in terms of performance, taste and suitability. Many, but not all, of the ingredients are Organic. Those that aren’t are selected on the basis of how and where they are produced, how they behave and their seasonal availability.
We feel that seasonality is important. It gives each of us something to look forward to and gives encouragement to the local producer who makes the best out of the environment they are working within when producing something. This might be the use of local pears or apples, the use of elderflowers, of potatoes or local herbs.
We use NO flour improvers, stabilisers, preservatives or hydrogenated fats. Any fats which are used are confined to wholemeal and some fruited breads, where we use only finest pig fat, otherwise local butter may be used or, in the case of continental breads, locally grown and produced Rapeseed Oil. Salt is kept to the absolute minimum."
Together with their 4 young children, Matthew and Zoe have embarked on a truly unique bread journey in Northumberland
