Sourdough sitting service rises to the occasion

A charity that has handed out sourdough bread starter kits is offering a sitting service for people who might "knead" it.

The bread has been around for centuries and grew in popularity during lockdown, when many home bakers explored the art of making it for themselves.

Community hub and garden Your Place Grimsby has handed out almost 600 starter kits and holds free bread-making demonstrations at its base in Wellington Street.

Ernie Brown, from the charity, joked: "We have created more bakers than Bake Off!"

The artisanal bread is made from starter kits and there is science behind the baking process.

It is made by mixing flour and water and left to ferment, which means bacteria and yeast multiply in it as they feed on the flour.

It is this process that gives it its unique taste and requires attention from the baker.

Mr Brown said he had handed out the starter kits because he thought it was a "nice" thing to do.

"I want people to practise feeding it, because feeding it is the most important," he said.

"It will live quite happily eating the flour and drinking the water for 10,12, 14 days maybe. After that, it runs out of its food and drink and starts to die.

"If you feed it more flour and water every 10 days, at least, it will stay alive forever."

Bread lovers who are going away and worried about its progress can drop their starters off at the charity, which will look after them with its sourdough sitting service.

"I started it off as a joke," Mr Brown explained.

"Someone said it was a great idea and asked if I would look after theirs while they were on holiday.

"It's a week since its parents have been away. I brought it into the garden and it met up with its other sourdough mates.

"When they come back from holiday they know they have a sourdough that's alive."

Your Place, in East Marsh, opened its doors in February 2001 and was a project of Grimsby Neighbourhood Church.

It provides a neighbourhood service where residents can drop in to meet other people, gain advice or learn new skills.

Mr Brown said he had seen a sourdough revolution.

"We have a Facebook sourdough club with over 700 members," he added.

"Apart from most major cities in the UK, it's gone over to Poland, Spain and Iceland."

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