Real Foods Beremeal

A visit to Birsay Mill in late September 2019 introduced us to bere meal. The whole process of the drying, milling and establishing markets for bere were explained. After the "tour" of the mill, we bought 1.5kg of bere for porridge-making plus a small booklet giving a short history of the grain plus some recipes for its cooking and baking. Having now used up the bagful and having enjoyed its distinctive flavour and texture, we are committed to having more of this historical product and will, no doubt, place repeat orders over the years. Bere IS different from porridge made from wheat or corn and is very satisfying. You should try it too.

This is an historic barley flour from the Orkney Islands, featured on the Slow Food U.K list. Birsay, where the grain is milled, is a wild and lovely area in the north west corner of Mainland Orkney. The flour is really superb. Beremeal is an ancient barley and it has a really good robust barley flavour. High quality barley flour isn't that easy to find at a reasonable price, so if you want to use it you need to really notice it. Birsay beremeal gives the quality and the flavour.

Great added added to bread, substituting about 10 - 20% of the flour for beremeal. Results in a lovely moist, faintly nutty, tasty loaf.

If you were selling it in Barony Mill's own paper bags (as pictured) which last for years (a little goes a long way) that would be ace. But unfortunately the fragile celophane packs you use either burst in transit or when you try to open them and about 30% of the flour I've bought is now in my hoover

I first tried beremeal bannocks while on holiday in Orkney, and they were so delicious I had to learn to make them. Ordinary barley meal can be had in halal shops, but it just doesn't taste as good as real beremeal. FitzGibbon in 'Traditional Scottish Cookery' has a good recipe.

Iv just been trying your beremeal biscuits, there really tasty, I love the nutty flavour of them, had them in a hamper for Christmas, I will definitely be buying them again,