Learn to Bake Sourdough for Health

2 days at Sourdough School Kitchen Garden  – Learning about bread and gut health.

You are invited to attend a relaxed, unhurried two days. Dr Vanessa Kimbell, Libiana Kimbell and Helene Cotter, teaching assistant. These 2 days are and exclusive change learnt  all the hacks Dr Vanessa Kimbell, creator of the famous 10-Minute Sourdough method. Master real bread science — wheat, grains & microbes — in a warm, supportive baking community. Gut-friendly loaves in real life for every health for your family .

You will learn how our staple Meadow Blend flour is milled fresh, incorporating fresh herbs from the garden. . The kitchen is in constant motion. You can simply sit and read in the  library with bread books going back 500 years, or read any of 700+ research papers in my office printed and filed to browse. I’ll be baking some bread that has been fermenting overnight, making simple soups and salads. These are  slow creative days. Unhurried conversations over lunch, and time for a snooze on the sofa is parr of the day. Our dough is shaped by hand, and love are pulled from the oven and eaten warm with our lunch made from produce e in the kitchen garden. . Preserves pickles and ferments are made from whatever is abundant in the garden that morning. Recipe testing, photography, and conversations is parr of the rhythm.  This is about belonging to a community and contributing whilst learning.

This is the Proven Bread Programme, made in real time.

There is something that happens when you slow down enough to actually be somewhere.

Proven Days are the Proven Bread Programme lived in real time. They feel like home — like the South of France, like the rhythm of a village that still knows where its food comes from. A garden picked at the right moment. Eggs collected from the chickens. Grain from Bruern Farm in Oxfordshire, grown in the next county, milled for the bread we bake together. A kitchen filling with the smell of something being preserved before lunch.

This is where the programme is actually made. Real garden. Real season. Real ingredients. This is what I do every day. I practise baking as lifestyle medicine. I create knowledge, develop recipes, and test them with whatever the season gives us. On Proven Days, you do it with me. You will harvest, preserve, bake, taste, and refine. You will sit down to lunch made from what the garden gave us that morning. You will take home bread you baked yourself and small jars of things you made with your own hands and learns to bake bread that genuinely changes how they feel.

This is community. This is creation. This is what it means to come back to The Sourdough School.

The Setting

The Sourdough School is set within two-thirds of an acre in Northamptonshire. It is also my home.

You are entering a living, working space — not a commercial premises. The garden, the kitchen, and the bakery are all part of the same place where I live and work. My family may be here. People drop in. Unexpected things happen. This is the reality of how the school runs, and it is part of what makes these days what they are.

There are cats and dogs on the premises. Please take this into account when booking.

Directions will be sent by email once you have booked. Accommodation is your own responsibility — local options are available here.

Course Information

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Proven Days are not an introductory experience. All participants join on the same basis — as part of a working environment. There is no additional teaching or adaptation for the day.

If you are new to The Sourdough School and looking to learn to bake, you should begin with one of our courses.

Existing students are very welcome to attend. If you have already studied at The Sourdough School, there is no need to book an interview or consultation. Simply book your place — a visitor information form will be sent to you by email, and that is all you need to complete before you arrive.

Who Can Attend

• Proven Days are primarily for beginners to learn the 10 minutes tin loaf and principles of Baking as Lifestyle Medicine. 

Terms and Conditions

Booking and attendance at Proven Days is subject to the full Terms and Conditions of The Sourdough School Ltd. Please read these before booking.

Please note: all bookings are non-refundable. We are unable to offer refunds for cancellations or non-attendance. Date transfers are offered once only and must be requested in writing, subject to availability.

FOOD AND ALLERGENS
The working kitchen at The Sourdough School handles gluten, dairy, nuts, and a wide range of other ingredients as standard. It is not possible to guarantee an allergen-free environment. All allergens must be declared on your visitor information form before attending. If you have any concerns — including allergies, intolerances, or conditions affected by food — you are required to speak directly with Vanessa before booking your place. This is a condition of attendance, not a formality.

ANIMALS
Cats and dogs are present at the school. Please do not attend if you have a severe allergy to animals.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND MEDIA
By attending, you consent to photography and filming which may be used within The Sourdough School and Proven Bread Programme.

YOUR VISIT
The Sourdough School is based in a private home and working smallholding in Northamptonshire. Family members and other visitors may be present during the day. This is a normal part of how the school operates.