Flour may contain soya – our flour is produced without the addition of soya in a flour mill which does not process soya, but within a supply chain which handles soya and where a risk may exist. Our Canadian and organic flours typically have a longer supply chain and therefore an increased risk.
Our white flours have a best before period of 9 months after milling and our brown and wholemeal flours have a 6 month best before date after milling.
Please note, some flours are milled less frequently than others, so you may not always get this full life on the flour you purchase online.
Our flour can be stored in its original packaging or in an air-tight container in a cool dry place. Do not mix old and new flour. If moisture gets into the flour, it may become clumpy.
Occasionally, flour attracts psocids (or flour weevils) which can live in dry foods. They like dark and warm places, such as packaging or food cupboards and are not caused by poor hygiene. Flour is unlikely to be the source of the infestation but provides the perfect habitat for them.
Type OO, Type O, T55, T65 flour are colour measurement grades of flour used outside the UK. The colour measurement is based on the ash content, which is measured when a sample of flour is burnt and the leftover ash is weighed.
For example, T55 flour has 0.55% ash. This means that a T55 French flour is whiter than a T65 flour, which has 0.65% ash.
In the UK, we are legally required to add fortification which impacts the ash content. Therefore, we class flour by strength rather than colour.
The colour of the flour does not match the strength of the flour. OO grade Italian flour covers low protein (for cakes) and high protein (for pasta) options.
When looking for a UK flour alternative for pasta, we recommend our Very Strong White 100% Canadian Flour.
No, the addition of bleaching agents is not permitted in the UK.
The majority of our wheat is sourced from local farmers in Essex. We also source UK wheat from farmers in Suffolk, Kent, Sussex and Hertfordshire.
We import higher protein wheat from outside the UK, such as Canadian Western Red Spring wheat from Canada.
Our organic wheat is sourced from throughout the world to achieve a similar quality and performance to our conventional range.
We produce a range of organic flours and are approved by the Organic Food Federation to produce organically certified flours to the correct standards.
We recommend using our Strong White or Organic Strong White flour for pizza and our Very Strong White Canadian for pasta making due to its high protein content.
Plain flour is for general baking and cooking. It can be white, brown or wholemeal. It is an all-purpose flour so can be used for pastry, batters, pancakes, biscuits and thickening sauces.
Self Raising flour can be white, brown or wholemeal flour, and has baking powder added. Self Raising flour is used for baking where a cake needs to rise – for example in recipes for scones, muffins and cakes.
The Red Tractor logo is an assurance that our products have met the Red Tractor production assurance standards and are of a UK origin.
All of Marriage’s Strong home baking flours are suitable for use in bread machines. If you plan to use Rye flour in your bread machine, please check the manufacturer’s instructions first – it might require a dough hook especially suited for rye dough.
The Alveograph W value is commonly used in Europe to determine the strength of flour.
The Alveograph test is not commonly used in the UK, protein is generally used instead. The limited testing that we have done would indicate that our general strong breadmaking flours are around 350.
For the following areas a surcharge applies
Unfortunately we are not able to hold stock. Once you have placed your order, flour will be dispatched in our usual process as outlined in our T&Cs.
From order to delivery, please allow up to 7 days for receipt of your products. In most cases you will receive your order sooner.
We are sorry to hear that you have issues with your order, please complete the form on our Contact Us page so we can help with your enquiry.
Some items/all items may be out of stock. Products will be re-stocked most days and this will be depend on what we’ve milled.
At busier times, we may only be able to sell muti-packs (not individual bags) of our 1kg/1.5kg, we’re sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Unfortunately, we cannot organise any deliveries to Ireland for home bakers.
Unfortunately, we cannot organise any international deliveries for home bakers.
If you decide to cancel your order, please email us with your order number and we will process a cancellation and refund (provided your parcel hasn’t been despatched). Please bear with us as this may take a few days. Further information can be found in our T&Cs.
Our home baking range is stocked in various independent stores including; farm shops, delis and fine food shops. You can also purchase online at Ocado and in East of England Co-op stores. Some artisan high-street bakeries also sell our flour.
If you’re local to Chelmsford, you can visit Marriage’s Country Store (Parkway, CM2 7PX) which sells our range. They have limited stock, so if you’re making a special trip we recommend calling to see what’s available first. 01245 269663. The shop is open Monday to Saturday 9am – 5pm.
We don’t sell directly through these sites. However, some of the wholesalers who purchase from us do have listings on Amazon. Without seeing the product and examining the barcode we aren’t able to confirm if the product is genuine. However, as long as the stitching or seal is intact, and it weighs the right amount it is unlikely to have been tampered with. If you are concerned you should contact your local Trading Standards.
Unfortunately, we don’t currently offer click and collect.
If you contact us via our trade page and let us know your volume requirements, we can look to discuss your options or point you in the direction of a wholesaler who can help.
Please head to our Trade page for further information.
Our paper packaging can be widely recycled and the plastic outers that contain our home baking bags can also be recycled, once the label is removed (subject to local facilities).
Although our mill is of historic interest, it’s also a very busy working mill and unfortunately, we are unable to offer tours of the mill at this time.
If you are interested in joining our team, please see the Recruitment section for details of current vacancies. Alternatively, please email recruitment@marriagesmillers.co.uk to tell us about yourself and include your CV.
We would recommend the Food – a fact of life (FFL) education programme which provides up-to-date, evidence-based, information around ‘food’ to all those involved in education. It is managed by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), in partnership with the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
We do not currently produce gluten-free flour as part of our range.
UK flour (including fortified flour) is free from animal products or ingredients derived from animal products and as such, UK flour is suitable for consumption by vegans.
Naturally high in fibre and protein, our Golden Wholegrain flours lets you enjoy all the health benefits of wholemeal. Using carefully selected wheat varieties that are light in colour and mild in taste, we grind the entire grain in just one step. With nothing removed, we preserve all the nutrients and unique flavours of the wheat for an authentic flour packed with fibre and protein. You can find out more here.
Whilst growing, wheat is naturally exposed to a wide variety of potential germs and, as such, we recommend cooking items made with raw flour before eating them. We advise against eating raw dough or batter and would not recommend giving play dough, made with raw flour, to children.
Stoneground wholemeal flour is made in the traditional, slower way – by grinding wheat using our horizontal French Burr stones – rather than the roller milling process. These stones have been used for milling flour for over a hundred years and play a vital part in the taste and texture of the flour. Stoneground wholemeal flour has a different texture to roller milled wholemeal flour – the process gives it a more rounded, rather than torn, bran.
Strong flour is produced from hard wheat varieties and has higher protein levels than plain and self raising flour. Strong flours can be white, wholemeal or malted. The high protein (gluten) content of strong flour ensures dough rises well and that it keeps its shape once it has been baked.
We add some ingredients to our flour, either for legal necessity or to provide benefits to bakers using the flour. Below is a list of ingredients we add and the purpose they serve.
The protein content refers to the amount of gluten that can be formed using the flour. Gluten provides structure and aids the texture of your bread or cake. Higher protein flours are normally recommended for bread making, whilst cake making flours have a lower protein content.
Marriage’s mill two Organic Light Brown cake flours (Plain and Self Raising). These used to be called our ‘81%’ flours as they contain about 81% of the original wheat grain. We mill white flour, then add some of the fine bran and wheat germ (from the same wheat) back in. This means these flours retain the flavour of wholemeal but are as easy to use as white flour – without the heavier texture sometimes seen when using some wholemeal cake flours.
Yes – dough can be frozen after its first kneading or shaping, within an oiled polythene bag. This will normally last about a month.
Steam is the key to making a crusty loaf – you can achieve this at home if you heat a dish in the oven (then add ice cubes/1/4 cup of water). Leave for 15 minutes then add your bread to the oven. Alternatively, you can use a hand-held water spray and spray the oven sides.
Unfortunately, we don’t sell yeast. If you are struggling to source it, check out our recipes for breads such as soda bread that don’t require yeast. You could also have a go at making your own sourdough starter.
Fresh yeast has a moist, putty-like, texture and a distinctive sweet smell. It comes in blocks and is perishable so needs to be stored in the fridge. If you are struggling to find fresh yeast, you could try asking your local bakery or a supermarket in-store bakery and they might be willing to provide a small amount.
Dried yeast is a dehydrated version of fresh yeast. It is dissolved in warm water before use. The advantage of dried yeast is that it keeps for longer than fresh yeast, so you can keep it in the cupboard for when you need it.
Fast action and easy blend dried yeasts are easier to use than regular dried yeast as they can be added straight into the flour. You’ll only need half the weight of fresh yeast in most recipes.
A dough hook is an optional accessory on many electric food mixers and processors and can be used to knead the dough. You can still knead by hand, it may just take longer to reach the same stage.
Thoroughly dust your proving basket with flour – and shake off any excess – this should help your dough turn out. If you’re still having difficulties, gently ease the dough out with your fingers.
Yes – in very hot weather the yeast might work too quickly. If it is really cold, then your dough may not knead as well, the yeast might not activate as effectively and your loaf will have less oven spring, resulting in a smaller loaf than normal loaf.
