Edme meet the miller session. Pictured is David Amos, managing director of Edme

Farmers from around the region gathered for a ‘Meet the Miller’ session at Edme as part of National Mill Month.

The visit included a tour of the mills and sampling of special breads fresh from the oven in the company’s own bakery.

David Amos, managing director of Edme, a historic working mill on the banks of the River Stour in Mistley near Manningtree said many don’t realise that lots of top-end bakery in supermarkets and bakeries owe their existence to Essex and Suffolk millers and farmers. “Our job as millers is made easier by the region’s excellent grain and seed farmers,” he said.

“The farmers were pleased that we still use the traditional methods of milling but were quite surprised at how sophisticated and in-depth some of our technology is, particularly when it comes to quality control.”

He added: “Farmers in this region are very forward-looking: they’re really interested in the supply chain, and the impact of their practices on our processes - and on the quality of ingredients we produce. They are also interested in the demands put on millers by local, national and international bakers – and are keen to support in any way they can, including the trialling of new crops and new varieties of familiar crops.

“If the ‘Meet the Miller’ and ‘National Mill Month’ activities do anything to highlight the great contribution made by East Anglia to the taste of the Britain, then they will have been thoroughly worthwhile.”

Farmers and millers were making a significant contribution to the staple diet of Britain – as well as to the regional economy, he said.