I had to go to Hobart on business on Tuesday so I took the opportunity to take an extra day down there to have a look around. On Wednesday with my wife Lisa and youngest daughter Charlotte I visited Oatlands the home of Callington Mill and Companion Bakery.
Unfortunately it was too windy for the windmill to operate while we were there. The tour guide Tony gave a great description of the operations of the mill and was very engaging and entertaining. I bought a bag of light sifted flour that I will use in my baking tomorrow.
After that we visited Companion Bakery for some excellent coffee and hot chocolate. I asked whether it would be possible to visit the actual bakery as the shop is in a separate building. This was arranged and we were able to go and visit Graham in the middle of baking.
Despite being busy Graham spent time chatting about sourdough issues, such as log bulk fermentation and ovens, and showed us his oven in operation and some work in progress. For me it was a wonderful experience and despite the difference between Graham's commercial baking and my home baking we had a common language and understanding.
A big thank you to Graham for being so generous with his time and for sharing so much with us. It was a total thrill for for me.
Joe Lionnet
Replies
Great post Joe, sounds like you had a great time! I would like to go there myself someday but it's a long way from Northern California.!
Sounds fantastic, lucky you. Great photo too! I love Tassie, I'd love to go back there one day soon and the bakery and mill will be my number one place to visit.