Press Release

DOUGH IN THE SNOW

The Coastguard, St Margaret’s Bay, 20th January 2009

Many moons ago, long before supermarkets took over the world, the little village of St Margaret’s at Cliffe had its own bakery. In her never ending search for good bread, Sam Wydymus, head chef at The Coastguard, has decided to re-establish the tradition.

Armed with a bucket, some grapes, some Crabble Mill flour and a stick to bash it all up with, she is growing her own wild yeast to make the first sour-dough loaf to be baked in the village for donkey’s years.  The Coastguard, situated in St Margaret’s Bay itself, has been well known for the freshly baked bread served in its restaurant since opening nine years ago. When snow recently cut the village off from the rest of the world, Sam was called upon to bake extra and the idea was born.

‘It’s great to be making a really old fashioned yeast dough with local flour from Dover’s Crabble Mill,’ said Sam. ‘We have to feed it twice daily and you are under no doubt you are dealing with a living breathing organism – we’ve even given it a name!’  Making bread entirely from scratch using local ingredients not only fits in with The Coastguard’s local produce ethic but has the added advantage of making bread with character and a naturally long life.  The first loaves of St Margaret’s Bay Sour Dough will be available late February with plans for a twice weekly baking service.

The Coastguard is a Pub & Restaurant based in St Margaret’s Bay, Kent.

For more details,

Sam Wydymus

01304 851010

thecoastguard@talk21.com | www.thecoastguard.co.uk | twitter.com/thecoastguard

###

If you are at all interested in our little project, we’ve been taking photos of the different stages as the yeast comes to life. We will be updating our website with its progress so that people who have expressed interested – from not only the village but as far away as New York – can keep up to date…..  And it doesn’t stop there. We’re researching some historical recipes for Easter including hot cross buns and a yeasted Simnel cake again using our sour dough starter, just in time for any Easter features you may be planning.

To download a pdf of this press release click here