Where to buy flour during lockdown

1. Local shops

Check your local shops, often small vendors have access to different supply chains, we’ve managed to buy Polish flour, and should you find this, maka wroclawska is for dough and maka tortowa for cakes.

2. Restaurants

Check your local pubs, cafes, bakeries, restaurants and chains, such as Leon who are converting 65 outlets into mini supermarkets. Many businesses have switched to selling the raw ingredients their supply chains were already set up for, for flour particularly check bakeries and pasta makers (we’ve used Ombra in Hackney). Over 400 pubs have signed up to mypubshop.com, a not-for-profit initiative that has helped them turn themselves into mini shops. You can register as a customer, and if your local isn’t signed up yet, put them in touch.

3. Commercial sized bags of flour

Often, you can buy flour in larger bags (smallest size is 4kg). Search your local area on Nabim.

4. Flour as part of another kind of delivery

Some food delivery service companies have come online during the Covid-19 crisis in order to keep their business going. Where they might have normally used flour to make products, they are now able to repackage and supply it as a raw ingredient. London’s Crosstown Doughnuts have joined up with The Estate Dairy, Miller’s Bakery and their local fruit and veg supplier as Crosstown Collective to deliver mixed boxes that can, if you choose, include a batch of flour. Natoora also have batches of flour if you’re within their reach.

5. Specialist suppliers

Specialist suppliers or flour mills have slots online, this requires a little patience, but these are often released daily, get in quick! Below is a list of companies that sell flour – supply goes up and down so it’s best to check websites daily, or sign up to newsletters so you can make an order. Delivery areas/pick up will vary wildly as the company sizes range from small to country-wide. There may also be a cost implication, be sure to check before ordering. This isn’t an exhaustive list because new ventures are coming online all the time. If you are one of those, or know of one, then please let us know at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

Flour suppliers

Doves Farm
Baking boxes for £11 are released when they have enough stock so keep checking the website. The organic flour baking box contains a selection of organic flours. They can’t specify the exact contents of each box, but they will contain the following:
1kg organic plain flour (white or wholemeal), 1kg organic self-raising flour (white or wholemeal), 2 x 1.5kg organic bread flours (white and/or wholemeal), 2 x 1kg organic speciality flours (e.g. spelt, rye, malthouse or others), 125g quick yeast.

Shipton Mill
Shipton Mill release delivery slots to buy 1kg bags as and when they become available throughout each day (if you want 16 or 25kg bags you can order normally). They ask that you follow the below steps:

When delivery slots become free, submit your email address using the box below to request a delivery slot. Wait to receive an email with a link, this may take a few hours to arrive, the link will give you 24 hours to make a purchase from the shop. They aim to despatch within seven working days.

Squires Kitchen
Squires Kitchen have a range of flours in sizes from 4kg upwards, plus yeast (when it’s in stock) and all their usual cake decorating items. Delivery times vary so check the website.

Cake Craft
Another source of catering quantities (16kg) of flour is Cake Craft – if you’re a keen baker you’ll work through a batch in no time.

Hodemedods
This company sources and supplies British grown pulses and grains – from chickpeas to quinoa (sold whole and as flour), as well as stoneground YQ what flour from Wakelyns Agroforestry. Check the website regularly for stock updates.

Souschef
This purveyor of all things foodie regularly has Italian flour in stock, as well as many other kinds like gram flour or blue masa harina for tortillas.

Gilchesters organics
Check daily on this website for stone-ground heritage grain flours, as well as baking equipment and gift boxes for new bakers.

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Have you been able to buy flour? Let us know in the comments...