In-Person Sourdough Workshop Bookings Open

Limited Edition Workshops with Dr. Vanessa Kimbell

This is my first newsletter as Dr. Vanessa Kimbell. It is taking some time to get used to using the Dr, but I am growing into it, alongside the grey hair and glasses I now wear. So, for those of you who have asked, the name of my Doctorate is Lifestyle Medicine: The Examination of Baking, Eating, and Sharing Bread as Lifestyle Medicine & Preventative Healthcare. It formalises the focus of my work over a lifetime on Nutrition and the Digestibility of bread. I use the knowledge and structure of baking as Lifestyle Medicine in how I teach about how bread impacts our health and our courses. Backed by over 750 studies, and case studies offer unparalleled depth and evidence-based learning. I am delighted to share that another dietary intervention study on gut health and the impact of the diversity bread on mental health is underway with Kings Colledge London on the BALM Protocol.

We Stopped Teaching in Person: Four years ago, the Sourdough School had almost a two-year waiting list for our courses. When the pandemic struck, we stopped teaching in person and adapted by enriching our online Sourdough School Bake for Health Certificate. The online course is an in-depth. It is a slower-paced course that allows people worldwide to embrace the art of baking and nourishing bread that follows the apprenticeship skills I learned over a year of baking. It starts each September and runs for a year.

Limited Places on the New Sourdough School Workshops

Now that my doctorate is finished, I am excited to reopen our doors for in-person learning. We’re offering limited-edition workshops:

• The most affordable option is the Two-day Sourdough High Hydration Diversity Boule – £499 + £29.99 3-month support pack.
• The more in-depth Four-Day Bake for Health Workshops for the first time comes complete with the 1 Year Bake for Health Certificate starting this September. ( – This course offers the most value of all the courses as the online certificate course registration is £999, so if you plan to do the certificate, the in-person workshops are only £250 more. )
• Our most in-depth course is the 2-year Diploma with a 1-week retreat; the next is in October. There are only five places available.

What makes learning here at The School so different? I was asked a few weeks ago on social media how, when there are hundreds of online and in-person courses, teaching Sourdough is The Sourdough School Different. When I started teaching, no one had ever heard of sourdough, and I am deeply proud to have played a part in changing the bread landscape. Nevertheless, people ask how The Sourdough School differs from all the other offerings. So, back to the question: what sets our courses apart? It’s more than exceptional knowledge or botanical blends or the understanding of bread on a personal level. I think that the classes are unique because my techniques are not conventional. My teaching style imparts the tacit understanding of sourdough baking honed over 40 years. These workshops are not just about learning from videos or books. It’s about immersing yourself in the sensory experience of bread-making – touching, smelling, tasting, and understanding the dough. The workshops are different because you bake alongside me whilst I am deeply tuned in to the nuances of the flour, the microbes, and the interplay on the day here. This approach rewires the brain, connecting knowledge with know-how in a way that can’t be replicated through any other medium.

The Collective Consciousness of Baking Joining The School is not only about the individual. It is also an invitation to become part of a unique baking collective. This is the essence of the Sourdough School. We are also unique because you are invited to remain a student and keep learning.

Limited Spaces, Unlimited Learning With limited spots available, this is a rare opportunity to join a select group in this intimate baking journey. Despite teaching students from 84 countries, we maintain the ethos of a small, personal business focused on deeply connecting with each student.

For further information and bookings, please visit the provided links for more details on accommodation, travel, frequently asked questions and workshop content. Northamptonshire is a beautiful place to visit and there are some beautiful walks here. It is near Oxford, Cambridge, London and the Cotswolds. Information on our September courses, including the Diploma in Baking Bread as Preventive Health and Lifestyle Medicine, is also available.

However you choose to be involved with The School, from buying a book to spending two years learning about every aspect of how bread impacts your health and wellness, I look forward to welcoming you to the Sourdough School and sharing this extraordinary journey of baking as lifestyle medicine.

Kindest Regards

Dr Kimbell

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