The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowLe Perron
- Organic methods: no synthetic pesticides or fertiliser, not certified
Le Perron is a bakery business with a shop in Wageningen and market stalls in Amsterdam, Haarlem, Den Haag and other towns, which bakes French-style bread from grain milled at its own water-powered mill.
According to their website the grain is organic ancient grain grown without artificial fertiliser or pesticides, ground between millstones at the Commandeursmolen in Mechelen in Limburg, and all of the bread is organic and made without artificial additives. The company behind the mill, De Commandeursmolen B.V. in Mechelen, is certified organic (SKAL) for processing and trade; we found it in the register, while the Wageningen shop has no entry of its own. The range is broad and mostly labelled organic, and only some loaves are sourdough, so it is worth choosing by name: the 100% sourdough dark multigrain loaf, the wholemeal sourdough demi-baguette and the white levain are the clearest examples, with spelt and kamut breads alongside. Fillings and toppings use local vegetables, organic milk and eggs, and Beter Leven meat, as their website describes it.
The Wageningen shop is open Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 to 15:00 and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00.
The mill is driven by fast-flowing water, so the flour for every loaf is ground in-house rather than bought in.