Celebrating French Bakers’ Day

Brixton Windmill at the French Embassy

Brixton Windmill recently celebrated the inaugural French-UK Bakers’ Day at the French Embassy in Kensington.  Ann Bodkin, one of our volunteer millers, was invited to celebrate St Honoré, the patron of French bakers, honouring the community that feeds us.  Here’s Ann’s account of the event:

Two hundred farmers, millers, bakers and pastry chefs from across France and the UK gathered as guests of Gilles Quillot, chef at the French Embassy, and Richard Bertinet, the Breton baker, author, and guest of honour. Together with the French Ambassador, we were welcomed to this inaugural celebration with talks, milling and baking demonstrations and to enjoy delicious food and conversation together.

Thanks to Andy Forbes, Brockwell Bake Association, for the invite to Brixton Windmill as part of the South East Grain Alliance (SEGA).

Andy presented about long straw heritage wheat, along with Fanny Leenhardt, bread nutrition specialist at Well bread, the Irish Bread School. They shared the developing importance of understanding the qualities of landrace grains, and how these ancient wheats provide nutritional quality, flavoursome taste, offer resistance to local climate impacts, as well as contributing to the health of the soil. 

Arnaud Sorin, Foricher Les Moulins talked about the French baguette, a symbol of democracy, recognised by UNESCO in 2022 with the intangible cultural heritage status.

It was great to catch up with Oscar Harding and Max Oliver at Gilchesters, Duchess Farm, Hertfordshire, who supply the organic Mulika grain we currently mill with. Also to be with Maisie Collins, chef and owner at Hearth Bakery, Hackney and the other bakers and farmers we work with in the network.

Gilles Quillot is a great advocate of all things mills and milling, having a Moulin Astreia stone mill, in the embassy kitchen. He was fascinated to hear about our windmill, and was delighted with our gift of flour. We look forward to returning the invite to Gilles and the SEGA members.

Thanks again for the generous invite for Brixton Windmill to be represented at this wonderful celebration. We hear the embassy would love to make this an annual tradition. Vive le pain!