Biscuits with Purpose
How the Yorkshire Grain Alliance is reimagining food and farming
Written by Dr Ulrike Ehgartner
Food and farming
After World War II, farmers were encouraged to grow as much food as possible, but at the same time, they were pressured to keep prices low. We all want food that is affordable, but the current system makes food cheap by pushing the costs onto farmers, the environment, and even our health. This creates big problems that are made worse by lowering prices. To achieve real affordability we need to reprioritise the proportion of income spent on food with other necessities such as housing, energy and transport. This is out of the control of Farmers.
Farmers do have a lot of power to help solve some of these problems. By looking after the soil, planting trees, creating more habitats for wildlife, and reducing pollution, they can make a big positive impact. But they still need to make a living. The solution is to rethink how we grow and share food, so it benefits everyone, including the land and the community. We need to build a different food system, from the base upwards.
Flour and baking
For centuries, bread was made with flour from wheat that was grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. But today, modern, industrial scale millers use roller mills, and the big baking firms use the ‘Chorleywood Process’ to achieve speed and cheapness. Higher protein levels in the wheat are needed to withstand these processes, and they are achieved by using more nitrogen fertilisers and pesticides. These cause pollution, and can degrade the soil. Centralised industrial systems have greater transport needs. In addition, the UK imports wheat from places like Canada and the US, which adds extra pollution due to long-distance transport and supports global supply chains which exploit both the land and the people growing on it.
The Yorkshire Grain Alliance (YGA) and biscuits
The Yorkshire Grain Alliance is working on a new way to produce bread, through a slower, gentler system, starting with healthy soil. When soil is healthy, crops grow better, and when crops grow better, we get better bread. And that bread can help build stronger, healthier communities. The goal is to create a food system that supports everyone—farmers, bakers, and consumers alike.
The farmers in the YGA use natural methods to grow grain varieties that are suited to less-intensive farming. They are trying to tackle big challenges by creating healthier bread, reducing waste, and supporting local businesses.
On farm milling, using more gentle, stone mills to produce flour for high quality bread-making. This can support the finances of smaller, mixed farming units, whilst not requiring such high protein wheats. These smaller, mixed farms can then create employment and boost rural communities; on which the variety and beauty of the landscape depend.
On farm milling also means that any waste products, such as bran, are used on site to feed animals. Transport costs can be cut to a minimum by creating a more localised system. Artisan bakers also work with slower, more natural methods to make bread. These methods preserve more of the goodness in the wheat and create better bread.
But the YGA is not just about making food—it’s about changing the way we think about food. Their biscuits, made with flour from carefully chosen grains, represent a different approach. They show how small, thoughtful actions—like sharing biscuits over tea—can make a big difference in how we care for the land, our community, and the environment.
By sharing these biscuits, we are joining the YGA in connecting more deeply with the land and with each other. It’s a small step, but it reminds us that food doesn’t have to come from a system that harms the planet. It can come from a place that cares about people and the environment.
