Matthews Cotswold Flour

Matthews Cotswold Flour’s mill still operates beside the River Evenlode in Shipton-under-Wychwood, where Frederick W. P. Matthews built it in 1912. The family was already trading grain in the nineteenth century. Today, father and son Paul and Bertie Matthews run a business connecting that milling history with the needs of professional bakers and people baking at home.

The choice starts with how the flour will be used. The catalog contains more than one hundred varieties, according to the company, with options for bread, pizza, pastry, and everyday cooking. Strong White and Churchill guide the search for bread flours; Italian Tipo 00 and pizza blends offer another starting point. Whole-grain and rye varieties broaden the range for doughs with different characteristics.

Multigrain blends add seeds and cereals to a baker’s repertoire. Eight Grain is part of that selection, alongside organic, British, French, and stone-ground flours. Bags for home use and sacks for larger purchases are available. The formats allow shoppers to choose quantities suited to how often they bake and their storage space.

Regenerative agriculture has a dedicated range, including Churchill Strong White, Eight Grain, and Pizza flours made with British grain. The company describes practices intended to reduce soil disturbance, diversify crops, and integrate livestock into farming systems. The Cotswold Grain Partnership brings farming families and businesses together to share knowledge and develop crops; these characteristics are not attributed to every flour in the catalog.

The Baking Club and recipes accompany purchases with ideas for using each flour. There is content on sourdough, cakes, and pizza, alongside guides to starting and maintaining a starter. Elaine’s videos and the Foodbod Pod provide other learning formats. The community includes contributions from home and professional bakers, with recipes connecting ingredients to baking results.

Masterclasses extend that educational side through sessions with bakeries such as Lovingly Artisan, KNEAD Bakery, Hobbs House Bakery, and Niche Patisserie. Offerings include sourdough and festive baking, with their own dates and capacities. A dedicated trade section serves professional buyers, while the online store handles consumer orders.

Milling, packing, and dispatch are based on Station Road, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, OX7 6BH. Order pickup is arranged on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and shipping focuses on mainland Britain, with specific terms for islands and remote areas. The company offers product advice and allows order changes before purchases have been processed and dispatched.