Lockdown Day 33 - Holgate Windmill

As many people will already be aware, trying to get flour of any description during the lockdown has been difficult, if not impossible, from mainstream shops. It isn't, apparently, an issue of the amount being produced not keeping up with demand as with catering and restaurants closed, there is plenty of flour in the supply chain. However, it is an issue of bags - for the catering and restaurant trade, flour is generally bought in large quantities, and the spike in demand has been for the 1 and 2kg bags you get from supermarkets and the like.

The BBC article here explains the issue better.

I discovered that Holgate Windmill in York, which has been producing a small amount of flour for open days and as fundraising, has opened a shop on a Saturday morning to cater for demand and they are running the windmill up to four days a week now, weather permitting, to produce flour.

The shop is at a hatch in the base of the windmill, you can just see it in the photo below the first window at the end of the road.

The road goes round the windmill on either side. To be truthful, if you don't know about the windmill it is not that obvious due to the built up nature of the area!

We cycled over there this morning and when we arrived the queue was about ten people ahead of us, but when we left the queue was all the way down the lane! They limit flour to one 1.5kg per customer in order that more people can benefit, but also have local honey for sale too. You can choose from wholemeal or spelt flour, although in normal times they do a range of other flours.

The notice (you may have to enlarge on your device - and there's more info on the website) explains where the grain for the flour comes from and even some handy recipes!

 Here is the flour we got this morning.

The windmill is celebrating its 250 year anniversary this year, although unfortunately they won't be able to celebrate properly due to the restrictions.

I am hoping during one of my exercise trips in the lockdown to be able to cycle past there on a day when the windmill is going, but if it is a windy day it is a struggle to cycle!

Flour from a working traditional windmill!

https://www.holgatewindmill.org/