The Queen's Loaves

Flour milled at New Hall Mill has been used for baking bread or rolls for Royalty on three special occasions:

Queen Victoria - All in a Day in 1899

On Monday 14th August 1899, Mr Prosser, a baker from Erdington, achieved a first for Britain. With good summer weather, he purchased a field of wheat at Walmley Ash Farm. At 10 o'clock in the morning, he and the farmer cut the wheat by hand. After threshing, they had a bag of 112 lbs of grain that was milled by Benjamin Styles at New Hall Mill. By 6 o'clock that evening, 80 small loaves had been baked. Mr Prosser then decided to send two of the loaves to Queen Victoria. Next day, the newspapers reported it was the first time that wheat had been made all within one day in Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II - the Silver Jubilee in 1977

In 1977 Mr David Owen wrote to HM Queen Elizabeth II offering to commemorate her Silver Jubilee by providing bread baked with flour milled at New Hall. Buckingham Palace replied asking for 24 loaves and a special roll 6 inches long. However, the roll was too large to be preserved and they requested some Bridge Rolls bot exceeding five inches. A loaf and a roll were preserved on velvet cushions in glass cases.

Queen Elizabeth II - the Golden Jubilee in 2002

In 2002, the Friends suggested it would be appropriate to commemorate Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee by presenting her with some bread baked with flour milled at New Hall Mill. Warwickshire organically-grown wheat was mixed with some Canadian wheat and milled at New Hall Mill. The loaves and rolls were then made and baked by the mill's Treasurer, Mr Sam Sweet, and were delivered to Buckingham Palace on 19th June.