A Cumbrian artisan bread maker has begun growing its own grain with the help of an Eden Valley farm and an internationally recognised expert in organic crops.

Lovingly Artisan, based at Plumgarths, Kendal, is known for making delicious sourdough bread from organic, ancient grains.

However, Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor, the husband-and-wife team behind Lovingly Artisan, have long wanted to grow their own grain.

Now they are working with long-time friend and academic Dr Andrew Wilkinson to make their dream a reality at the 600-acre Eden Yard farm, near Penrith.

Andrew has an in-depth knowledge of climate-suitable grains, particularly for regions like Northumberland, having led Newcastle University’s organic crop research programme.

He helped Aidan and Catherine identify a suitable site for growing the grains at Eden Yard, which is owned by Ben and Jannike Taylor, and is already well-known for producing award-winning rapeseed oil.

(Image: Jenny Jones Photography)

The farm also grows a variety of arable crops in annual rotation, following a stringent soil management plan, which includes planting their stubble fields over winter with deep-rooting and nitrogen-fixing cover crops, as well as companion cropping and minimising tillage.

The collaboration began last year with the Taylors providing the land and machinery, Andrew providing seeds and guidance and Lovingly Artisan facilitating the milling and market access.

By last autumn the team had prepared two fields - just under eight acres - and planted their first organic heritage rye crop. Despite challenging weather, it yielded approximately 12 tonnes of rye in late August this year.

‘’We’ve wanted to go on this journey for quite a few years and quietly we’ve been chatting to Andrew and making plans should we find a suitable farm that shared our vision and saw the potential of what we were proposing to do,” says Aidan.

“Cumbria, though not known for crop production, has areas of land that are highly suitable for growing grains of this sort, particularly heritage grains that have over thousands of years adapted to climatic conditions prevalent in the UK.

“Couple that with organic growing practices and you’ve got a win-win situation; shortened supply chain, locally produced crops with unique terroir.

“All of this increases our food security, and when grown sustainably can offer farmers positive returns and ultimately provide the consumer with a locally produced nutritious and ethical product in the form of ancient grain breads produced from seeds nurtured in Cumbria and then turned into loaves served at Cumbria’s dining tables.”

(Image: Jenny Jones Photography)

Looking ahead, Lovingly Artisan plans to scale up production, planting more heritage grains and expanding acreage.

The bakery is also set to open its own milling facility in Burneside, near Kendal, allowing for even more locally-sourced flour to be produced, with hope of supplying other local businesses as well.

‘’As farm-to-fork producers already in Cumbria, our partnership with Lovingly Artisan has provided a welcome opportunity for us to further expand on our journey to farm sustainably and provide more products for our community,” says Jannike.

“It is incredibly exciting that nutritious and fully traceable bread will be created from grains grown and milled within the county, highlighting the vital connection between farmers, producers, and consumers.

“Whilst Aidan and Catherine get to trace their loaves back to the seed, we get to follow our grain to the mouths of their customers. It’s a wonderfully exciting project for us all.‘’