At Mount Pleasant Windmill we take the utmost care with our milling.
On the second floor of the mill, we have two sets of stones in order to mill a variety of grains.

One set is made of French Burr Stone which is a very hard type of stone which we use for milling white flour only. The other set is made of Millstone Grit quarried in Derbyshire and we use it for grinding wholemeal flour, Spelt or Rye.

When the mill lost its sails in 1936, it continued milling animal feed with a pair of Derbyshire stones on a Hurst Frame driven by an oil engine.

We still have the Hurst Frame at the bottom of the mill and it has since been connected to an electrical motor which ensures that the stones are being turned slowly, at a constant speed identical to the wind-driven stones.

We do not use the Hurst Frame because we never have any problems milling the wholemeal flour, the Spelt or the Rye by windpower.

However, we have great difficulty milling white flour when the wind does not blow strongly enough especially during the Summer months.

This is the reason why we are currently looking for a pair of French Stones to install on the Hurst Frame for a regular and constant production of white flour. (have you seen a pair in your great grand-father's shed? If so, please give us a ring!)

We use only the finest quality organically grown British wheat. Firstly, because we are truly committed to organic farming and secondly because there is absolutely no need for extra-strong foreign wheat when traditional methods of milling are used.
Modern roller mills grind wheat at tremendous speed which damages the starch and generates heat which in turn destroys vitamins and nutrients in the wheatgerm.

When we bought the windmill in 2000, Mervin may not have known much about milling, but he was passionate about flour! A baker for 30 years, he had bought thousands of tons of it and was absolutely determined to produce top quality flour for top quality baking.

Three years later we believe that we produce the best stoneground organic flour in the country and thus for two reasons:

1) Mervin as a baker had tremendous knowledge of grain.
It enabled him to use his experience to determine the exact specifications of the organic wheat he wanted to buy. He was able to select on his own both the variety and the quality of the best grain for milling and baking.

2) Mervin also had life-long knowledge of flour.
He knew exactly what the end result had to be, unlike most millers. He is able to concentrate entirely on producing flour that bakes well. To reach that result, he mills very finely, even if it is more difficult and more demanding for the mill as the stones need to be dressed more frequently, but the flour is superb!

VACANCY AT KIRTON MILL!

We are looking for a General Assistant to help Mervin in all aspects of milling and baking.
Must be keen to learn all aspects of working in a traditional windmill. Must be fit. Will be trained in the workings of the windmill and will assist the miller/baker – this will include lifting wheat bags weighing up to 50kg, milling, cleaning, bagging the flour. Will also be expected to help in the bakery as well as general site maintenance and other duties as required.

National Minimum Wage during training period - no previous experience necessary - full training will be given - permanent job.

40 hours a week – 9.00 am 5.30 pm – Tuesday to Saturday –

Must be flexible regarding working hours as milling takes place when the wind is blowing hard – difficult to plan in advance!

Own transport would be an advantage.

Accomodation in Kirton-in-Lindsey may not be easily available.
Scunthorpe is the closest town – 8 miles away. Please check accomodation before requesting interview if not local.