roumette

Hi Sunshine! Re: flour storage... Our entire stock for six months or more fits into a space about 85cms x 75cms x 50cms in the bottom of a wardrobe in the spare room. (We don't store in the "caves" because although it's cooler, the odd mouse gets in now & then despite our small army of cats!) As soon as flour arrives we split the big bags down into single-loaf size bags which we seal tightly by twisting the necks and using a wire bag tie. A few of us have already been buying this way for some time, and none of us has ever had a problem with contamination or flour going "off". (And we're renovating too...) We've had a number of enquiries about this, but some people are quite a distance away. We live about 20 mins south of Cahors quite close to the N20/D820 - so you can factor in likely petrol costs involved in collecting. We have the details ready to send out by email as to what's available, what it costs and how we handle it, but there's too much to post on "Forum". (For example, there are over 20 different flours in bag sizes from 1.5 to 16 kilos!) Anyone who'd like the details - please let me have an email address by private message. And in case anybody's still wondering - yes, we buy French bread flour and French bread too! We just don't like our local bread, and it's costly in time and fuel to go further afield to buy better stuff. And we also like variety!!!! Roumette

Clair Your emoticon says you're "confused". So am I. I put up a post about importing things that are unobtainable here, and all I get is replies telling me what IS available. I've lived here for years, and been closely involved with France, French people and all things French for about 50 years, so I already know what is and isn't available. If you went to England, would you give up cognac for gin? And if I wanted to bring over some "Lincolnshire Stuffed Chine" and invited others who like it to join me in an order, would you tell me to go to Carrefour and buy a bit of ham?? So why this fuss about our wanting different flour? That's why I feel a bit frustrated by the replies. We've been bringing flour over for several years, but our usual carrier does very few trips to the UK now, so we've had to look at other companies - who have quoted some ridiculous prices. So we haven't got the cost advantage we once had. To break the log-jam we offered to organise a delivery (we get the work involved but no profit for our time) for anyone else who likes the bread we enjoy. (And - yes, we do enjoy good French bread as well.) But it seems from the (actually irrelevant) replies as if people want to tell us that it's pointless and we shouldn't be doing it - which might actually discourage someone who might otherwise be interested. And that's not very helpful, is it? So people who, I'm afraid, have actually no wish to be involved in what we're trying to do but think they can "put right" those poor misguided souls like me have torpedoed this. Guess I'd better take down the original post. Correspondence closed. But an apology wouldn't go amiss. Chris

Jane, We've tried the alternatives - we don't like them. We've found what we like - we're happy with it. If it's too dear to ship - we'll stop. Expiry dates are only a problem with stuff we've been offered on markets. We also make breads with walnuts etc. added. Local mills - do I have to say it again? - don't produce the same stuff, and our local bread is not to our taste. I presume you haven't tried our village bakery. After all this, I shan't use "Forum" again. Sorry - but why do all these people think they know better?  

Yep - and they're all low gluten, they don't have the range of product, and the availability is often patchy. We want the product we like in quantities big enough to get the advantage of bulk, and we want it when we need it. Just look at our millers' website - www.wessexmill.co.uk - and you'll find a damn' sight more choice than Gamm'Vert. And as long as we buy enough at a time - as I keep saying, it's cheaper. And do health shops stock malted grains for granary bread, processed grain for softgrain, and all the other types for all the other mixes????? It sounds a bit like you think we haven't thought this through...

Yes - a few basic varieties of flour, and often near their sell-by date! And nowhere near the varietyof mixes! (You try getting sticky malt loaf mix here!!) And if we buy in the UK, it comes to our door. No need to go huge distances to get it. And we don't want "Homepride". For anything other than bread, French flour's fine, thanks! Chris  

We live in the south of the Lot (46) and use a breadmaker with British flour. Delivery costs have risen sharply recently, so we'd like to make a large combined order with other people in south Lot or north Tarn-et-Garonne (82) to reduce shipping costs. As an example, 130 kilos costs £1 per kilo to ship - but if we could bring over a tonne, it would only cost 15p per kilo. This is NOT FOR PROFIT - apart from anything else, that would be illegal. We can't buy "on spec" and sell the flour on either - we'd need firm orders, with collection from a central pick-up point. There's huge range of flours available - white, brown, granary, sunflower, six seed, softgrain and lots more. The flour comes in 1.5kg, 10kg and 16kg bags. We divide the big bags we buy for our own use into single-loaf amounts in plastic bags (so it keeps) and store them in rigid plastic boxes. Three boxes each the size of a milk crate hold over 60 kilos. If you'd like to know more - even if you're thinking of starting to make your own bread -please email. There are factsheets I can email to you, or we can talk you through what we do. (Setting the breadmaker going takes five minutes or less in the evening, and the bread's ready the next morning.) Anyone seriously interested but unsure can come over and see us and have a "demo". Hope to hear from you! Chris & Lynda