Thomasina Miers, a home baker of sourdough for years, has rated supermarket sourdough loaves for their flavour and texture. She found several pleasantly surprising, with good crumb and taste, but noted that none declared salt content, which significantly impacts flavour.
Miers highlighted that only Wildfarmed's packaging mentioned pesticide and herbicide use, an important factor for many buyers. She praised supermarkets for engaging with better bread, and noted Jason's and Wildfarmed's presence on high-street shelves.
Top-rated was Jason's Sourdough, £2 for 450g at Ocado and Tesco, scoring five stars. It had great flavour, delicate tang, and a crumb that stayed fresh for days. Other notable loaves included The Village Bakery Sourdough Bloomer, with a nice tang but dense crumb, and The Sourdough Co. San Francisco Style, with a light tang and open crumb.
Lower-rated loaves included those with dense crumb, little flavour, or unappealing appearance. Miers advised consumers to look for loaves with good provenance and flavour, and to consider salt content and pesticide use.
