Shipton Mill

Shipton Mill was founded in 1979 by an adventurous John Lister along with four friends who found an old mill deep in a Cotswold Valley. They set about rebuilding it themselves, using reclaimed machinery and mill stones, which are still in use to this day.

Since the very start organic has been at the heart of the Mill. It is driven by a desire to not only protect the earth, our environment and all the nature that goes with it, but to give back to the earth and make it a more fertile place for generations to come.

Working closely with a number of UK organic farmers, Shipton Mill are currently examining how they can improve the quality of UK organic wheat for baking, and consequently, the flours that are milled from it. These local farms have a shared belief in the requirement to produce food in the most sustainable manner possible. Their challenge is to provide bakers with high quality, UK grown wheat that will still produce consistent results,  despite the often variable climate and most importantly, without the use of processing aids.

Shipton Mill are always finessing and evolving their production techniques, combining craftsmanship and ancient traditions with new slants, milling flours that today’s bakers and innovators enjoy working with and can transform into beautiful products. Finding exciting suppliers who treat the earth in a regenerative manner is critical, and the final flavours and end products are a result of this.

Our home baking buyer Mel says:

Shipton Mill applied through our Meet the Buyer process and I was instantly drawn to their care and ethos from the start. They are innovative in their production techniques and constantly look for ways to develop new organic products based on the crops they grow. I would encourage anyone to give their flour a try as the proof really is in the bake.

Bread baking tips:

• Take some time to choose the right flour to suit your purpose, it can really make a difference to the final bake.
• All-rounder flours are handy to keep in the cupboard.
• When baking bread, go by what the dough looks and feels like rather than the specific timings.