Location: United Kingdom
Profession: Home Baker
About
From 9-5 I am a Finance Officer for our local District Council but in much of my time away from my desk I am in my kitchen.
Bread is a staple in our household and is always homemade, served with soup or simply with a good, aged Cheddar. But probably my favourite way to eat bread is with just a little too much unsalted butter & homemade Quince Jelly.
I bake for friends & family and am known for handing a friend a loaf of bread instead of flowers or a bottle of wine when visiting them.
My Work
I live on a farm on the Romney Marsh, which my husband and extended family farm both arable and cattle & sheep. During lockdown in 2020, like many others, I was drawn into the Sourdough baking process. As my baking successes improved, my interest in understanding the raw ingredients led me to mill my own flour and increased my interest in how we can farm for both nature and health.
At this stage I'm purely a home baker with an interest in learning the practical and theory behind my passions; baking bread for family & friends and the science of a good diet.
Passionate about Baking as Lifestyle Medicine
I have always believed that our diets are key to our longevity and quality of life, and in recent years have followed the work & words of Dan Buettner and Simon Hill in a personal journey to understand how our diets influence so many aspects of our lives. BALM would seem to me a perfect mix of science & baking both of which fascinate me.
Both my parents have recently died and did both suffer from Dementia, the gut/brain interaction is now of particular interest.
My Community
As purely a home baker at this stage I have. no community to speak of yet but I appreciate and have seen the effects that real food can make to people and their health.
As my own diet has evolved into a more 'back to basics' approach by incorporating more grains, fibre, fermented foods and increased diversity I know from my own experiences the difference this approach can make. I can only imagine the improvements to peoples lives if this protocol was more widely adopted. I just need to discover what my input into this adoption will be.
How I use BALM Protocol
Initially I want to expand my knowledge for my own personal satisfaction and to see where this leads me, this personal journey is in its infancy but it maybe a farm shop or small bakery selling organic flours & bread and using this outlet to pass this knowledge on to my customers.
