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Matthews Cotswold launches 'UK’s first all purpose regenerative white flour'
The new Matthews Cotswold flour is sourced from a select group of local farms that use methods which aim to restore and improve soil health and biodiversity.
Explaining the significance of regenerative methods for flour production, Bertie Matthews, the company’s managing director, said: “The grain used in our new All Purpose Flour comes from farms which have been implementing a host of regenerative practices for a number of years.
“Regenerative Agriculture is a term that refers to a farming model of growing food that protects and improves soil health, biodiversity, water retention and quality. Farmers use a host of practices including, but not limited to, reducing soil disturbance, implementing wide crop diversity, integrating livestock, maintaining living routes and protecting the soil surface.”
The ‘All Purpose Regenerative White Flour’ is traditionally stoneground milled in the Cotswolds from regeneratively farmed UK wheat and, according to the 200-year-old family business, will be a UK first.
Matthews added: “We believe it is the duty of all food producers to move to a regenerative sourcing model. For years British farmers have been incorporating these practices and making real tangible change to the landscape.
“It is now the turn of food producers, millers and bakers to play their part and get these incredible products into people's homes. A huge thanks goes out to our network of dedicated regenerative farmers, Tesco for being the first UK retailer to list a RegenAg product and the bakers of Britain making a positive change to their baking with this great flour.”
As the name suggests, all purpose flour has a wide range of use cases, suitable for recipes that call for plain, strong bread or self-raising flour. This application diversity is a helpful asset during the on-going cost-of-living crisis.
“All Purpose Flour is commonly used in the US but does not appear on the shelves in UK supermarkets. We have become used to buying plain, strong bread and self-raising flour for different recipes but our new All Purpose Flour is a suitable replacement for all,” noted Sophie Carey, Matthews Cotswold Flour’s bakery development manager.
“It is a halfway house between plain white and strong bread flour. Plain flour is between 8.5% to 10% protein and All Purpose Flour is a minimum of 10.5%. It is strong enough to make basic breads, especially breads that prove in a tin, but also soft enough to make more delicate bakes such as cakes, pastries and biscuits.”
