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When Cumbrian bakers Catherine Connor and Aidan Monks decided they wanted to source locally grown heritage rye for their sourdough bread, they never imagined they’d end up high in the cab of a combine harvester looking out over the harvest of the crop they’d been yearning to find in their home county. But an off-the-cuff chat at a farmers’ market has led to an exciting new partnership between farmers and bakers. Ben and Jannike Taylor who farm near Penrith have taken up the challenge of growing heritage grain for the Lovingly Artisan Bakery.

Ben and Jannike have only been farming their own land for around 5 years after Ben stepped out of the family farm contracting business. Since then, they’ve taken on new ventures like this heritage grain collaboration and they produce their own cold-pressed rapeseed oil, selling to Michelin starred restaurants, delis and at farmers’ markets which is how they came to meet Catherine and Aidan.

Caz Graham visits Plumpton Hall Farm along with heritage grain specialist Andrew Wilkinson as Catherine and Aidan see the combine in action harvesting their very first crop of Cumbrian heritage rye.

Presented and produced by Caz Graham