FOOD & DR INK
“The small-scale nature of Grain Culture is key. Everything is handcrafted with fastidious attention to detail” T he humble loaf has had a luxury, artisanal makeover in recent years. Even at your local supermarket, the shelves, Against the grain
once loaded with sliced whites, now bear myriad sourdoughs, ryes and rustic loaves laden with ancient grains. After decades of putting up with flavourless, pre-packaged bread, consumers had tasted the good stuff and they weren’t going back. Cambridge has been quick to embrace this trend, if the proliferation of artisan bakeries is anything to go by. From Norfolk Street Bakery and Stir to more recent arrivals The Cambridge Oven and Maison Clement on Hills Road, the city’s residents are becoming increasingly spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing their daily bread. The latest to catch our eye is Grain Culture: a recently launched micro bakery with a stall at the Ely Farmers’ Market. Specialising in small batches of exceptional quality bread, it’s the brainchild of Luca Fiorio, who cut his teeth cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants around Italy. “When I decided to quit, about two years ago, I wanted to specialise in something,” he explains. “Since the beginning of my career, I always had an incredible passion for bread and it fascinated me, so it made sense to start a micro bakery and produce the best bread possible!” The small-scale nature of the business is key. Everything is handcrafted with fastidious attention to detail, fermented for 24 hours and then baked, with absolutely no cutting of corners. For Luca, it’s simple: “Grain Culture is a micro bakery and wants to remain as such, producing small batches of real, high-quality bread,” he says. “I want to supply and collaborate with the best, like-minded food business in and around Cambridge, as well as providing for my local community in Ely.”
One collaboration that really had local foodies abuzz was the recent pair-up with Steak & Honour, which saw Luca creating a unique sage and potato bun for S&H’s raved-about Sage Against The Machine Christmas burger. If you didn’t manage to grab one of those, you can find Grain Culture at Ely Farmers’ Market every second and fourth Saturday of the month, where you’ll have your pick of anything from sourdough loaves to cinnamon and salted caramel buns to Polish babka. Luca is constantly experimenting, but his all-time favourite is the table loaf, which he describes as the fifth member of his family. “There’s always one cut open in our kitchen, it’s there as toast for the school run, there at lunch, there at dinner or for a late-night snack,” he says. FOLLOW LUCA ON INSTAGRAM AT @GRAINCULTUREHQ FOR UPDATES ON HIS BAKING ADVENTURES.
Images The latest of a crop of artisan bakeries in Cambridgeshire, Grain Culture can be found every second and fourth Saturday at Ely Market
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