Scotland the Bread: Heritage Grains and Diversification

Join FAS for this interactive site tour and Q&A session about heritage food and grains, and the broader relationship to farm diversification. You will meet us in Unit 8 at Bowhouse in Fife, a hub for local food producers.  From there, you will be led around Scotland the Bread’s site and grain mill, talking through the grain sheave structures, crop diversity, and processing methods. This will be followed by refreshments and a Q&A with Andrew Whitley and Phillip Sheane.

Scotland the Bread is a member-owned community benefit society that is working towards a sustainable and fair supply of flour that is nourishing for both people and planet. To do so, they research and grow heritage and organic Scottish and Nordic wheats. The heritage grains are particularly well suited for Scottish growing conditions and climate, their contribution to biodiversity, their high levels of vitamins and minerals, and flavour. Their own strain of wheat has been labelled the ‘Balcaskie Landrace,’ a mixture of 3 wheat varieties from 19th century Scotland.

In addition to the heritage wheats being a historical curiosity, their suitability for agroecological farming means the crop can be grown to make high quality bread and provide farmers with a fair return. The grains are milled to flour on site, which is then used to supply bakeries across the country.