August 1st is Lammas Day. On this day, particularly in rural areas, it is cutomary to give thanks to God for the gifts of food and the provision of all we need to sustain life. In more ancient times, the beginning of August coincided with the harvesting opf the crops for the milling of flour and thebaking of bread. The ‘first loaf’ was sometimes present to the local church and became the bread used at the Eucharist or the mass – Hence Lammas – Loaf Mass.

Two tales of Bread

Torn from plastic wrapping,
The slab of bread, processed flour,
tumbles unappetizingly, onto the plate.
It is a source of calcium, good for the bones,
with Iron and Niacin, B3 of course,
a small sprinkling  of Thiamin adds to the cocktail
of goodness and well-being.
Yeast, salt and water is tinged with Rapeseed Oil,
reminding of spring fields painted radiant yellow.
Lest we lose sight of all this goodness,
Calcium proportionate adds a chemistry lesson
for our delectation and preservation.
Not forgetting, of course, those amazing emulsifiers
E472E and E481
all doused with ascorbic acid.
Bread. Yummy!

Mr Deakin’s Bread

The oven door opens in Mr Deakin’s bakery.
Wafts of delicious, tantalizing
aromas fill the air, tempting the nostrils
with the unmistakable freshly baked bread.
Sacks of flour wait quietly for their turn.
Mr Deakin knows the Miller
who lives near the farmer,
who gathers the crop dancing
in the breeze of his own fields.
We take home the bread still warm.
Crusty yet yielding if pressed,
giving off a rich enticing smell,
whetting the appetite.
Held in trembling hands of expectation,
we break off a little, raise a morsel to our lips.
And another.
Real bread!

[Mr G]

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