Viva Lewes April 2015 Issue #103

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David Bland, Flint Owl Bakery
We’ve been in this building since around 2010.
I wanted to have the bakery in Lewes but couldn’t
find any suitable buildings. And then I spotted this
little unit in Glynde.
Our building is the old dairy. I think this was
the bottling room, which is why it’s on a slant.
Underneath there’s a deep bunker with thick brick
walls, where they’d store the milk.
My first customer was The Ram in Firle, so
they’re our oldest friends. Today we cover an area
from Alfriston, across to Haywards Heath and
down to Brighton. We supply around 30 food
businesses: restaurants, gastro pubs, cafés and farm
shops, plus our own shop in Lewes.
In my 20s I went travelling a lot. I loved travelling
around Scandinavia and started eating such
characterful breads. When I got the travelling bug
out of me, I wanted to learn a craft – and found I
was good at baking. I love it.
Photos by Mark Bridge
Someone’s usually here from 8pm and we bake
until around 8am. Then the kitchen opens, preparing
food for the shop. Friday night’s the big night,
so we start earlier. We could bake up to 1,500 loaves,
plus cakes and tray bakes.
Essentially we’re making bread the old-fashioned
way. We’ve got linen cloths, a mixer, a wooden table
and an oven. And our hands.
All the bread is made from our own blend of
flours. We might call a loaf ‘white’ but really it’s
white with a bit of light rye, a bit of malt… That’s
how we produce distinctive products. All those little
changes will adjust the flavour.
Sunday is the only day we’re shut. We work
Sunday night but don’t work on Saturday night.
It’s always been that way. I like to see my kids on a
Sunday. As told to Mark Bridge
209 High Street. 01273 472769.
flintowlbakery.com
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