Real sourdough is made from flour, water, salt and a starter, with no added yeast, and it ferments slowly, often overnight. Near Wellingborough and Northampton you can buy it from Helene's table in Mears Ashby on Wednesday afternoons and in Earls Barton on Saturday mornings.
Read the ingredients. A real sourdough is mostly flour, water and salt, sometimes with seeds or grains. If the list includes yeast, or a run of improvers and preservatives, the loaf was probably made quickly and given a sourdough flavour. The Real Bread Campaign calls these loaves "sourfaux".
The slow ferment is where sourdough gets its tang and its chewy, open crumb. Speeding it up loses both.
Helene bakes in small batches and plans two collection tables a week:
There's no table when Helene is on holiday or running a workshop, so check the WhatsApp group before you set off. The bake list goes up there a few days before each collection. You can message to reserve a loaf or just turn up, and you pay by cash or card on the day.
Mears Ashby and Earls Barton both sit between Wellingborough and Northampton, a short drive from either town.
The bake changes every week. Regulars include the Signature Sourdough, made with Shipton Mill white flour and 15% Diversity Blend, the newer Simple Sourdough, Seeded, Cheese & Marmite, Olive, New York Deli Rye and Panmarino. Sweet bakes come and go: cinnamon buns, cruffins, pains au chocolat, burnt Basque cheesecake. You can see a typical week on the home page.
Keep it cut side down on a board, or in a paper or cloth bag. Plastic makes the crust go soft. A good sourdough keeps for several days, and once it firms up it makes very good toast. If you want to freeze it, slice it first so you can toast slices straight from the freezer.
For cafés, events, weddings or a weekend away, Helene bakes to order in larger quantities. Ask about a bulk bake.
Six people at most, 10am to 4pm, and two loaves you shaped yourself to take home. How a day in the Mears Ashby microbakery runs.
Read more about what happens on a sourdough workshop in northamptonshire
A weak starter, the wrong proving time, too much water or loose shaping. How to work out which one flattened your loaf.
Read more about why is my sourdough flat? the usual causes and what to change
Feed the starter in the morning, mix after lunch, shape before bed and bake the next morning. A two-day plan with the quantities.
Read more about a simple sourdough timetable for your first loaf