As most people will have learned over the past month, Ukraine is one of the world's most important wheat growing nations - which is partly why a well-known South West flour mill has come up with a simple way of raising funds in aid of this war-torn country.

Matthews Cotswold Flour has launched a two month-long project called 'Bake For Ukraine', offering its award-winning flours at half price to be used as part of the charitable campaign. 

“Since the beginning of March, we have been taking 50 percent off the cost of our flour for any home-baker or professional who bakes anything and donates the value of its sale to the Red Cross Appeal,” says Managing Director Bertie Matthews. “All that keen bakers have to do is sign up online, whether they are planning to bake just a batch of cookies for their local Brownies or organising a much larger event. This will run until the end of April.”

“The reason we decided on the 50 percent-off offer is that it is scalable for any home or any baker, no matter what their size and skill-set. Our initial target is £5000 - and on top of that we've sent two tonnes of flour to Ukraine,” says Bertie, who explained he was initially nervous about his company publicly marketing this charity campaign. 

“We really didn't want it to be seen as any kind of self-promotion for our flour mill - but then, when we really thought about what cereal-farming means to the desperate people of that country, we decided to go ahead as it seemed to link so well with their needs and be the right thing to do.”

He said there were numerous ways of getting involved.

“You can host your own bake sale and donate your profits to our JustGiving page or get your children involved and organise a bake sale at their school or local village hall. Fans of our flour can also get creative in the kitchen and make some blue and yellow iced biscuits, cupcakes or even blue or yellow coloured pasta!

“It's easy to download our Bake for Ukraine logo and design a fundraising poster for your bake sale and spread the word on social media reposting your own and our posts on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter." 

To find out more visit Matthews Cotswold Flour is fundraising for The British Red Cross Society

For more information visit www.fwpmatthews.co.uk or follow @CotswoldFlour on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.ENDS

Editor's Notes

The two hundred year old family business, Matthews Cotswold Flour, is Britain's leading speciality flour producer boasting a range of over 100 varieties of flour and providing an unrivalled choice for both amateur and professional bakers. Matthews Cotswold Flour is committed to supporting sustainable food sources, developing an unparalleled range of top quality, award-winning, products and inspiring, educating and partnering with the nation's artisan and home bakers. 

Heritage: With a milling legacy spanning eight generations, Matthews Cotswold Flour is one of the UK's oldest family-run flour mills. Trading grain and milling flour in the heart of the Cotswolds since the 1800s, the mill believes passionately that their local partnerships, traditional stoneground milling methods and premium grains make for better baking. They are proud to offer premium quality Organic and Stoneground Wholegrain flour, using grain from local farmers and time-honoured milling techniques. With an eye to the future and wanting to share their wealth of milling experience, Matthews Cotswold Flour is launching a New Generation Milling Apprenticeship programme that encourages and supports the next generation of millers.

Regenerative Farming: Through their local Cotswold Grain Partnership and a system of fair trade pricing, Matthews Cotswold Flour works with farmers to grow in a sustainable way that protects the soil and develops wildlife.  They are supporting the Regenerative Revolution on farms around the country and promoting a more diverse agricultural landscape that supports soil health and different grain varieties. By giving back some profits to the farmers, Matthews Cotswold Flour is able to support new regenerative farming practices as they work to increase regenerative farming practices across all their suppliers.

Product Range: Matthews Cotswold Flour is Britain's leading speciality flour producer supplying a range of over 100 varieties to professional and home bakers through its online shop and retail and wholesale outlets. It is proud to work with Britain's best bakers (as voted by the British Baking Awards). Its product range offers a huge selection of artisan flour including unique blends of ancient and heritage grains. Matthews maintains one of the strictest grain selection methods for their specialty flour. By only selecting the top one percent of grain they ensure quality and consistency for master and home bakers across the country.

Awards: Matthews Cotswold Flour boasts a host of awards for many of the products in its outstanding range of flour. Their award-winning flour is inspired, grown, milled, baked, and created by their close knit community of partners. They are proud to have won 20 great taste awards in the last two years alone.

Baking Community: The Cotswold Flour Baking Club  was set up by Matthews Cotswold Flour to inspire a new generation of bakers with recipes, tips, videos, events, and collaboration with master bakers across the UK. Anyone can join this rapidly growing community and enhance their baking journey. By sharing knowledge, ideas, inspiration, and stories The Cotswold Flour Baking Club aims to create an incredible baking experience for all its members. 

For more information, an interview with Bertie Matthews, samples, recipes and images please contact Kath Hope at kath@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk or 07515632089.