Flour Mill Built in 1016 Sees Resurgence in Demand After Coronavirus Hits England

A mill in the south of England grinding wheat into flour since 1016 has seen a resurgence in demand in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In recent years, it’s operated mostly for the benefit of tourists. But when COVID-19 hit the United Kingdom, it affected the flow of some goods like flour. So the mill operators decided to increase production to its former levels.

"It suddenly threw the clock right back to medieval times almost working the mill just as it used to,” Miller Peter Loosmore told CBS News. 

The mill ramped up production, doubling its typical summer output in less than a month.

“Wow, blimey, it’s made a massive difference,” one store manager said of the mill’s output. “We've not seen demand for flour and yeast like this, ever."

A nearby baker was also thankful.

"We nearly ran out of flour, and this funny old mill down the road that can only produce a few sacks a day at most, stepped up, came in,” he said. 

That means he could keep meeting the increased demand for his baked goods. 

"There is a saying that, when times are hard, people eat white,” he said. “It's a comfort food. It's the original food isn't it?"

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