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AIBU

To ask where is all the flour

(17 Posts)
Sallywally1 Fri 01-May-20 17:22:13

And why is there a national shortage! Just when I have recently found out I can bake bread in my slow cooker in two hours!

Calendargirl Fri 01-May-20 17:31:07

I understand it’s not a shortage of flour per se, but it’s in catering size sacks, not required by bakeries etc as many are closed, and small flour bags are in short supply. So smaller bags having to be produced to decant the sacks of flour into.

If this is correct.

jacq10 Fri 01-May-20 17:37:46

Morrisons today only had really large bags of flour on their bottom shelves in large brown bags of the type usually only used for keeping potatoes for sale in farm shops. They were £9 but I certainly couldn't have lifted one into the trolley. The shelves were empty of all baking items apart from some cake decorations and about three bags of spelt flour. There may well be a large number of entries for next series of "Bake Off"!!

EllanVannin Fri 01-May-20 17:39:16

Flour mills have been working around the clock grinding the stuff. They've never been so busy, it's never been known.

Missfoodlove Fri 01-May-20 17:40:56

We have a local health food store, plenty of flour and yeast.
They buy in bulk from a mill and decant into 2k bags.

Oopsadaisy3 Fri 01-May-20 17:50:59

We are quite near a Flour Mill and they are working 24/7 and taking on extra staff and yes, it’s the packaging that’s the problem.
We must all be baking......

CherryCezzy Fri 01-May-20 17:56:59

You are spot on Calendergirl.

Calendargirl Fri 01-May-20 18:00:47

Thanks Cherrycezzy

??

heath480 Fri 01-May-20 18:02:46

We can get in my area from the local Farm Shop,also the local bakery is selling it and yeast.

Sallywally1 Fri 01-May-20 18:20:49

Thanks. Sadly no farm shops in South London. I have some flour which is a couple of months old, but this batch which is cooking as we write is not rising as well. I am new to bread baking, but common sense tells me that for bread the flour should be fresh?

growstuff Fri 01-May-20 18:29:11

A local small shop buys huge sacks of flour, but it isn't allowed to decant into small bags for resale for health and safety reasons.

So it's giving away flour to its customers. A few *iss takers started going in and just taking the free flour, but now the vast majority of people go in and buy a few pounds worth of stuff and take away their free bag of flour.

It's been a good move for the shopkeeper because he's only just taken over the shop, most people didn't even know he was there and he's probably won himself some regular customers.

PamelaJ1 Fri 01-May-20 18:46:43

I got a bag of plain today. There were 2 left on the shelf and I only took one because I’m a little angel ??.

Willow500 Fri 01-May-20 18:59:13

None available round here at all. My friend sent me a bag of SR flour as a surprise last week which was brilliant!

grannyrebel7 Fri 01-May-20 19:04:28

I heard lots of parents were buying up all the four and making sourdough with it to decorate.

Desdemona Fri 01-May-20 19:14:59

Apparently there aren't enough mills in the UK to satisfy current demand?

Morrisons, where I work is selling the big sacks of flour that our bakery uses to the public at the moment. They are also decanting smaller amounts into paper bags and selling those where the "usual" flour is sold from to try to keep availability going - however it is all selling really fast.

SueDonim Fri 01-May-20 19:23:46

It’s in my local farm shop. I was astounded how much they had last week! I guess they’d just had a delivery.

Grammaretto Fri 01-May-20 19:26:45

We have been lucky with our local mill but as soon as it arrives- it's sold, plus yeast.
Calendargirl is quite right about the distribution of small bags of flour.