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On Your Farm: Torth y Tir

Torth y Tir

BBC Radio 4 - On Your Farm, Torth y Tir

Verity Sharp visits Torth y Tir, the UK's first 'peasant bakery'.

Verity Sharp visits Torth y Tir - or Loaf of the Land - the UK's first 'peasant bakery'. It was set up in 2017, following the French 'paysan boulanger' model.

Torth y Tir is the UK’s first 'peasant bakery'. Welsh for ‘Loaf of the Land’, the bakery was established in 2017 - not only to provide freshly baked sourdough bread to the local area of St Davids, but also to grow its own wheat and mill its own flour. It's based on the French 'paysan boulanger' model. Founder and master baker Rupert Dunn explains to Verity Sharp what it means to be a peasant baker, talks candidly about the personal and spiritual ideals that are driving him, and speaks about his belief in the principle that everyone living within a certain radius should have access to locally produced, nutritionally dense food.

The wet climate in west Wales isn’t ideal for growing flour-grade wheat, but Torth y Tir is overcoming the challenge by sowing heritage grains. After obtaining his first diverse seed mix from his mentors in France, for the past four years Rupert has seen his crops adapting to his local Pembrokeshire conditions – even this year withstanding 50mph winds. The pride he feels for his wheat even inspires him to sing! 

Produced and presented by Verity Sharp.

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