Best Sourdough in the world Baked by Vanessa Kimbell

Socially Discounted Membership

£4.99 for 1 month after an initial 1 month period for £49.00 including joining fee

Socially Discounted Membership:

Baking is about inclusivity. This membership offers individuals in hardship equitable access to our resources.

We understand that everyone’s circumstances and needs are different. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment where individuals from various backgrounds can learn, grow, and connect with others who share their passion for baking and well-being. We are able to offer an online social prescription – and so if you are someone who is on the bread line .. if you will pardon the pun … then you are invited to join the Sourdough Club as a member for £49 – this is a £250 reduction to the standard joining fee. The monthly subscription is reduced from £15.99 to just £4.99.

Apply For A Social Discount

ONE-OFF ACTIVATION FEE: £49
MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION: £4.99
TYPE: LIFESTYLE PRESCRIPTION COURSE– please see this for full details of membership

We will consider application for a socially discounted membership as follows:

If you are a volunteer feeding people in my community
Should you be an individual looking after someone who would benefit from healthy bread
You are actively working to help people – please explain more below
You are an NHS worker
You are a young professional baker ( age 18 – 25)
You are a full-time carer
You are as an army veteran
Anyone over the age of 70
Students over the age of 18 in full-time education
If you work for a charity or equivalent
For people who are baking to help with fundraising
Other. You may explain other situations if you feel your situation is not listed

There is a limited number of memberships because we also support new members in live sessions. Please fill in the application form, and the prescribing team will consider your application.

Apply For A Social Discount

Category: Memberships

If your application is successful, you will receive a discount code that invites you to join the Sourdough Club as a member for £49 – this is £250 reduction to the standard joining fee, and the monthly subscription is reduced from £15.99 to just £4.99.

At The Sourdough School and The Sourdough Club, our approach to baking is unique and community-focused. Our lessons and recipes are created by Vanessa Kimbell, one of the most respected sourdough bakers globally. With over four decades in the field, Vanessa has played a foundational role in bringing sourdough into the mainstream. She is a best-selling author, social activist, and a pivotal figure in the redefining of our relationship with bread.

However, Vanessa’s vision goes beyond just teaching the craft of sourdough baking. Her primary focus lies in creating systemic change in the way we approach bread and baking. Both The Sourdough School and The Sourdough Club are community-based social enterprises that are rooted in this vision. Our mission is to promote Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM). This concept aligns baking and eating with our physical and mental well-being and encourages a sustainable relationship with our environment.

Our socially discounted memberships are an invitation to join this transformative journey. By offering these discounted memberships, we seek to extend our reach to a broader range of individuals who are passionate about baking and wish to make a positive impact within their communities. As a member, you are not just learning to bake for your family and friends; you are also becoming a part of a global movement towards better health, sustainability, and social responsibility.

As a social enterprise, our mission is not limited to teaching baking skills; we strive to foster social inclusion, create opportunities for personal growth, and advocate for the benefits of healthy bread to a wider audience. Our focus is to create a community where each member can learn, grow, and contribute towards creating healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive societies through the act of baking.

Together, we can make a difference.

As a member of The Sourdough Club, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits that will help you learn, grow, and connect with others who share your passion for baking and well-being. These membership benefits include:

Access to community recipes, including classic sourdough recipes, with new additions regularly.
Access to symbiotic eating recipes designed to nourish your gut.
In-depth information on the research behind each recipe and how they support your gut microbiome.
Detailed features on grains such as spelt, rye, and other heritage grains.
A comprehensive glossary to help you understand baking terminology.
Interaction with fellow members in our friendly and supportive forum.
Access to live webinars featuring Vanessa and guest experts.
Opportunities to share your bakes on the club’s Instagram account.
Exclusive club discounts on various products and services.
Participation in exclusive competitions and giveaways.
Access to exclusive articles by Vanessa Kimbell on sourdough and gut health.
A bi-monthly e-magazine filled with tips, offers, articles, and more.

You’ll gain valuable knowledge, support, and inspiration to help you on your journey towards healthier baking and a more balanced lifestyle.

All other standard terms and conditions apply.

Please fill in the form below. You will be contacted and if eligible you will invited to join The Sourdough Club. If successful our Self Prescribed Membership which is normally £299 to join and then £15.99 a month thereafter, will be reduced to £49 to join and £4.99 a month. We ask that you aim to stay as a Club member for at least 12 months. There is a lot of content and learning to keep you busy, but all in your own time.

What will I learn?

You will learn about every stage of making sourdough, including:

• how to create and refresh a starter

• how to blend and mill flour

• how to mix, knead, shape, prove, score and bake your bread

• how to eat symbiotically for optimal gut health

Some of the bakes you will discover include:

• a 10-minute sourdough tin loaf

• a 10-minute sourdough cake

• a retarded sourdough boule

You will also learn about:

• the variables affecting fermentation

• the fibre, protein and gluten present in flour

• the nutrition and digestibility of bread

• probiotics and prebiotics (including how to make your own cultured butter, kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles)

• the gut microbiome and why the kind of bread you eat matters

• why diversity is key to gut health

In short, you will learn about sourdough and how to bake to nourish your microbiome, but the Community Membership is much more than a course: it is a lifestyle prescription. This is a unique and innovative voyage into the world of sourdough and gut microbiome, and it will show you how to change your own diet and lifestyle for the better.

Is this for me?

Is this the best way for me to learn?

It really depends on what kind of person you are and what interests you. If you are disciplined and self-motivated, and you want to use the Club structure as a resource, then this Community Membership is good way to learn.

The advantage of joining as a Community Member is that you do not have to wait to start learning.

The disadvantage is that the Community Membership is entirely self-guided, so while it is less expensive, it does not include the research level features, tasks, events and tutorials you get as part of our guided courses.

The Community Membership option is often chosen by intermediate bakers who want the flexibility of a rolling monthly membership. It is important to note that you are committed to staying for a minimum of three months before you can cancel your subscription.

Should I join?

If you are a total beginner and have never baked sourdough before, then I would strongly suggest that rather than joining with a Community Membership, you do one of our short prescription courses first. Don’t be surprised by this suggestion! My motivation is not money, but sharing knowledge and making real change, and if you’re brand new to baking, you would be far better off starting with the lower cost option of a mini course, or even by baking from my 10-Minute Sourdough book, which is brilliant for beginners. You can also try out our basic recipes for free here. Then, once you know the basics and are sure that you like baking, you can come back and join.

I suggest you sign up for a Community Membership only if you can agree with the following statements:

I have baked sourdough before.
I am self-motivated and can commit to baking.
I am interested in more than just big holes – I want to understand sourdough.
Healthy bread is something I am very interested in learning more about.
I want to learn about other ways to use sourdough, such as pasta, flat breads, pastries, cakes and buns.
I like to know about how to eat bread to support gut health, including probiotics and probiotic recipes.

If you would like to join, please enroll – I will be delighted to find you in our Club members forum. If not, then please consider taking a guided course – they are amazing.

Vanessa Kimbell

The Sourdough School

Next Guided Course

If you would prefer a guided course and a certificate, then you can join an interactive guided course.

Click this link to find out more about the interactive guided-learning Bake for Health Certificate starting in September 2022.

You can also join the mailing list or make a membership request here.

Bake 2, Give 1

Part of our baking protocol is that we ask all our members to bake two loaves and give one away. So almost all of our recipes are made to follow this principle. Baking is about sharing bread and we encourage people to use it as a way to connect with one another. As a bonus, baking two loaves gives you extra baking practice!

Cost of joining

To join the Sourdough Club with a Community Membership subscription, we charge a one-off £599.00 initial joining fee, followed by a monthly subscription of £29.99 per month with a minimum commitment of three months.

As part of our social change programme, there are awards available for our courses. Please check to see if you are eligible for the social discount award here before purchasing.

Are there any discounts?

Yes. We offer reduced rate memberships to a number of people, so please check here to see if you qualify.

A full list of member benefits

As a Community Member, you will:

Have access to the community library with our step-by-step tutorials and video masterclasses.
Be able to discus your bakes in our live clinics on Thursday evenings.
Be the first to know of any courses run at the Sourdough School and receive preferential rates and booking opportunities.
Gain a deep understanding and insight into sourdough in your own time from core knowledge video tutorials covering topics such as the roles of gluten, salt, water and flour. You’ll also learn how to add inclusions, what bakers’ percentages are and how to troubleshoot.
Have access to a huge archive of recipes, including our classic sourdough recipes and symbiotic eating recipes.
Be able to read in greater detail the research behind each recipe and how it nourishes your gut microbiome.
Enjoy in-depth features on grains such as spelt, rye and other heritage grains.
Have access to a comprehensive glossary.
Be inspired by regular new recipes.
Interact with other members in our forum.
Have access to our library of live webinars with Vanessa and guests.
Share your bakes and get reposted on the Club Instagram account.
Get Club discounts.
Take part in exclusive competition and give-aways
Have access to exclusive articles by Vanessa Kimbell on sourdough and gut health.
Receive our bi-monthly e-magazine with tips, offers, articles and more.

Is there any support?

Yes! We provide support in a number of ways.

• The Sourdough Club forum is an active online forum with hundreds of members that is manned by one of our team daily. It’s a lovely place to get advice and feedback.

• You will be invited to attend online clinics once a month.

• You will be able to leave comments on lecture pages, which we will respond to.

• If you get stuck with anything, you can reach out and Vanessa will get in touch.

Be part of the change

It it is time to change the system.

Your membership isn’t just about learning to make bread. You will be part of the change.

The Sourdough School is a social enterprise and has been dedicated to researching, developing and sharing knowledge about how changes can be made in the world of bread-making and baking in order to support health and wellness for over a decade. We also take this one step further by teaching and empowering people to implement these changes and challenge the system on both a personal and social level. We do this through our Systems Change Programme, which is informed by our values.

This approach underpins everything we do in the club.