The Conquest of Bread Case Study
Lead Name: Catherine Vuillamy
Address: Spring Bank, Hull
Website: www.conquestofbread.shop
Open to the public: No. You must order your bread in advance. Use this contact form for more details.
Opening Times: The Conquest of Bread is currently baking on Tuesdays and Fridays.
About The Conquest of Bread
The Conquest of Bread is a Hull microbakery that takes its name from the 1892 book by the Russian Anarcho-Communist Pyotr Kropotkin and is inspired by his vision for a system based on cooperation and mutual aid, exclaiming; “What we proclaim is the right to Well-Being: Well-Being for All!”.
Catherine, who runs The Conquest of Bread as a one-woman bakery, said “That sounds like the kind of proclamation I want to get behind, so here I am, with a small piece of well-being for the people of Hull!”
What type of bread is baked?
She bakes different sourdough loaves each week. Sourdough bread does not use added yeast, but is naturally leavened with a cultured ‘starter’ made and fed with organic wholewheat bread flour and filtered water, developing its own wild yeasts. The starter is added to organic flour, sea salt and filtered water to make a basic loaf. All loaves are produced slowly, fermenting for 18-24 hours before baking. The long ferment time builds a distinctive flavour to the bread, and many people find slow-fermented bread easier to digest. The high-quality ingredients mean that it is real food that will nourish and sustain.
How does it work?
- The Conquest of Bread is currently baking on Tuesdays and Fridays. You must order your bread in advance.
- Place your order by email, or Contact Form – you will receive email confirmation and instructions about collection, payment and Covid-19 arrangements when you place your order. You are welcome to make a standing weekly/monthly order if you wish – get in touch to discuss this.
- Please get in touch if you are in quarantine and need bread delivered and she will make arrangements. Please don’t come to collect bread in person if you, or any member of your household has any symptoms of Covid-19 – she will get bread to you safely.
- Different breads are available each fortnight. These are updated on the Shop page every fortnight, and she also sends out a fortnightly email newsletter with details of the following week’s bakes. The newsletter is also shared on Facebook. Use the Contact Us page to request the newsletter. She will always protect your privacy and never share your details with anyone.
- A full list of ingredients is shown for each product on the Shop page, as well as approximate uncooked weights, but do get in touch if you have any questions. All her breads are vegetarian, and there are vegan options available for most breads. If you have any serious allergies, please let her know before you order so she can assess her ability to ensure your safety and wellbeing.
- For Tuesday bakes, she needs your order by Sunday evening; for Friday bakes, please place your order by Wednesday evening. She will do her very best to accommodate you.
- You can collect your bread between 4pm and 6pm on bake day. She also working with Hull Delivery Co-op to provide deliveries throughout the city – minimum order is £6 and delivery fee is £1.50.
- You don’t have to order every week, but she will give a discount of 10% on orders of 5 or more loaves booked and paid for up front. If you introduce a new customer, you can both have a discount when they place their first order and sign up to the newsletter.
- If you can’t use, or can’t afford a full loaf, let her know – she is happy to sell half loaves at half price, or to negotiate non-monetary exchanges. Solidarity Loaves are always available to people in need, and your donations for Solidarity Loaves are always very gratefully received.
Why should you buy this bread?
Catherine told us “The big thing about why I do what I do, is the belief that everybody should have a right to really good quality nutritious food, and that we actually have enough to go around if we’re willing to share our resources fairly. And that’s why baking ‘solidarity bread’ is at the heart of what I do – I bake regularly for Beannie Food Bank, Hull Unity Shop, and for a handful of individuals and families in need in my community.”