The Sharpham Park Mill was opened in June 2007 by Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex.  We believe it is the only mill of its kind in the world, being dedicated to milling only our own grown Sharpham Park organic British spelt.

The mill is equipt with the latest technology, sourced from throughout Europe where spelt is far better known - in Germany as dinkle and in Italy as faro.  Roger decided from the beginning that, where possible, he wanted to adhere to traditional methods of milling, and so we stonegrind the spelt, so retaining all the grain's natural oils and goodness, and ensuring that none of its precious qualities are lost through the more rapid methods such as roller milling. 

Sharpham Park spelt grain is harvested from the fields by contemporary combines, but unlike other grains, the combine cannot remove the tough outer husk of the spelt grain.  We store this offsite, and bring it into the mill in loads of around 25 tonnes. 

  Pete runs the mill, ably assisted by Sandra and occasionally - when we are   really busy - by Graham.  When the grain is delivered into the mill, Pete has to measure the moisture content.  Any grain coming in above 13% moisture content will be rejected; once the husk has been removed, the grain will gain a further one point at least of moisture, and anything milled above 15% could present storage complications, including mold. 

Pete dehusks the grain only as he needs to clean or mill it - and therefore in small batches.  The husk keeps the grain's moisture and nutrients tightly locked up inside, and it can stay fresh without any signs of deterioration (so long as it is stored correctly) for years on end. 

As well as the wholegrain spelt flour, Pete can also sieve out around 30% of the bran content and produce a fine white spelt flour.  Either flour can be used as a perfect replacement for any wheat flours.  Sharpham Park produce a range of sweet and savoury biscuits, available from the website or selected delis and farmshops, and are about to launch two pastas using the white spelt flour. 

The mill can also produce our 'hero' Pearled Spelt, which is the spelt grain with the outer layers of bran peeled away; it is an ideal substitute for rice and simply delicious in risottos - see the Recipe page. 

Once dehusked, Pete can also 'lightly pearl' the grain as part of a secondary cleaning process.  This grain will then be sent away for puffing and flaking for use in the Sharpham Park range of breakfast cereals.