Century-Old Sourdough Starter Stolen From Family Bakery
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A sourdough starter kept alive since 1912 disappears from a locked room in Elmbridge, and the whole town comes to the rescue.
A sourdough starter believed to be more than 110 years old has been stolen from a family bakery in the market town of Elmbridge, police said on Tuesday.
The starter, a living mixture of flour, water and wild yeast, is said to have been kept alive continuously since 1912, when it was brought to the town by the bakery's founder. It was taken from a locked cool room some time between closing on Saturday and opening on Monday morning. Nothing else is reported to have been touched.
'People think it's just dough,' said Tom Faraday, 58, the fourth generation of his family to run the business. 'It isn't. It's every loaf my great-grandfather ever made. It's our whole flavour.'
Police are understood to be treating the theft seriously. The thief is thought to have known the building well, as the alarm was switched off using the correct code.
The cool room is reported to have been checked by staff at closing time on Saturday, and the starter was still there. A neighbour is said to have heard a car door shortly after midnight.
The theft has caused unusual concern in the town. More than three hundred residents have offered help, and dozens are reported to have brought in small jars of starter that they were given by the bakery over the years. It is believed that at least one of these could be used to restore the original culture.
'In a way, it was never only ours,' Mr Faraday said. 'We've been giving it away for a century. It seems the town has been keeping it safe for us.'
The bakery is expected to reopen on Friday, with a handwritten sign in the window reading simply: 'Back from the neighbours.'