Practical Flour Milling Course - Blair Atholl

Tuesday 20 October 9am - 4.30pm

Who is this course for?

This event is perfect for mill volunteers and trainee millers. It may also be of interest to more experienced millers who wish to develop their skills.

You will learn

By the end of the course, you will know/understand/be able to:

• How to safely operate a watermill
• How to mill different types and grades of flour
• How to bag flour and move grain around the mill
• The hygiene and trading standards you need to follow to sell flour

Programme

This programme is subject to minor changes.

• 9am-9.30am - Arrival
• 9.30am - Course starts
• 12.30pm - Lunch
• 4.30pm - Close

You will need

Sturdy closed shoes to protect your feet from any falling objects 
Reasonably tight-fitting clothes to prevent items of clothing being caught in moving machinery 
Overalls (painters' bib or lab coats are ideal) to protect your clothes and prevent contamination of the flour
Hair clips (or similar) to ensure long hair can be tied back
Warm clothing, the mill can be cold in October

A dust mask will be provided for you  

Tutor(s)

Jonathan Cook is the owner of The Priors Flour, an artisan flour milling business based at Fosters Mill near Cambridge, producing stoneground organic flours milled by wind power and electricity. He has over 28 years experience running his business, Chairs the Traditional Cornmillers Guild and is a former chair of the SPAB Mills Section. Jonathan is the UK representative on the UNESCO International Craft of the Miller  Steering Group.

Kirsty Bruce is the owner of Blair Atholl Mill which her family have owned since 1995, and have maintained and run it as an operational mill since then. She runs the mill and adjacent tea room, a popular local refreshment spot. 

Assessment / Accreditation

There is no formal assessment for this course, but we can provide a Certificate of Attendance upon request.

Accessibility

There is ground floor level access at the mill and stairs to access the upper floor. Participants will be standing for much of the day. The course is fairly physical and there may be some lifting involved.
We can accommodate dietary requirements if indicated on the booking form. 

Photos and filming: We may take photos or videos at this event to be used in future promotion, including in print and online. Participants may take photos and short videos for personal use, with permission of the course leader and all other participants in frame. If you want to post on social media, please message SPAB's Comms Team (press@spab.org.uk or @spab1877) for permission. If your material is good, we might ask to share it with our followers.

All bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Photo credit: Blair Atholl Watermill CC BY-SA Ian Webster, via Wikimedia Commons