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RIP Lucretia

6 June 2011 by Dominic Franks

… there’s been a bit of a tragedy in Belleau Kitchen… you may want to sit down for this…

… Lucretia died…

… pour, dear, clearly neglected Lucretia, my delicious sourdough pet, who has provided many a loaf, went horribly sour and died. ย I had sadly neglected to feed her and after a week of very warm weather the wrong kind of bacteria began to form and all I can say is that when I opened her she stank so badly of the worst kind of blue-cheese that I nearly gagged and had to pour her down the sink… followed by a heck of a lot of bleach!

… not to worry, I will start again with another… and she will be better, and airier, and sourer!

… and this will be no mausoleum to Lucretia… instead I have made two very simple loafs of yeast bread in her honour.

A Farmhouse Loaf for Richard and a Walnut and Honey Loaf for Peter


the boys are here for a fun weekend and I thought I’d show off a little with some home baking. ย I’ve made the Farmhouse Loaf before, it’s pretty fail safe and the walnut one uses the same recipe but I’ve added olive oil instead of butter and honey instead of sugar… towards the end of the kneading process I threw in a handful of chopped walnuts… and will you look at these beauties!

an interesting note is that the plain white loaf was baked in my silicone mold, which clearly sags slightly creating a wider loaf, whereas the walnut loaf I baked in my lovely new retro blue loaf tin, which, with it’s rigid sides, pushed the loaf upwards… fascinating stuff!

… and I have a couple of winners to announce… a copy of Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cook book will be flying off to the lucky Bellini from More than Burnt Toast and Judith from A Trifle Rushed… well done and happy cooking!

eat and of course, enjoy!

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Comments

  1. My Farmhouse Kitchen says

    6 June 2011 at 6:18 pm

    well, you know i saw r.i.p. and my heart sank…

    i think my starter is headed for a similiar fate…i haven't fed it in weeks…but right now i have anadama rising on my drainboard ….

    happy to stop by today, my friend

    kary and teddy
    ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Victoria says

    6 June 2011 at 6:49 pm

    rip indeed. i was actually thinking about her yesterday when i was watching an old episode of river cottage…showing how to start a sourdough starter. so sad..x ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Katy Salter says

    6 June 2011 at 7:54 pm

    Nooooo. RIP Lucretia. Roll on the next starter (after suitable mourning period, naturally). x

  4. Kavey says

    6 June 2011 at 7:58 pm

    Poor Lucretia.
    You starting from scratch?
    If you're down this way, we could make you an offspring of our Levi Levain?

  5. Nicoletta says

    6 June 2011 at 8:29 pm

    Oh no…Sorry fr your Lucretia…but I'm sure the next one will be better!!!! These two lofs anyway they are very good….!!!! Ciao Dom

  6. Aveen says

    6 June 2011 at 8:42 pm

    ๐Ÿ™ RIP Lucretia. I had a starter called Gerry who I was really quite attached to, and when he died I never felt like starting a new one. Perhaps I should get over poor Gerry and get on with it.

    Bread looks yummy!

  7. Joy says

    7 June 2011 at 12:20 am

    The circle of life.
    What will you name the next one?

  8. Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes says

    7 June 2011 at 2:10 am

    OMG, the r.i.p. scared the life out of me!

    Pour dear, sounds like you gave her a proper burial! So, what will you name your next dough-girl? I think you should have a blog contest! LOL!!!

    BTW, the bread looks fabulous!

  9. Working london mummy says

    7 June 2011 at 7:37 am

    oh poor you. I agree you should have a contest to suggest name for the next incarnation …

  10. A Trifle Rushed says

    7 June 2011 at 9:37 am

    Well your yeast loaves look beautiful, good luck with your new starter.
    And thanks for the book, I'm so excited!!!

  11. Susan Lindquist says

    7 June 2011 at 1:26 pm

    Oh dear … my condolences on Lucretia's untimely demise … all this talk of bread, though, has got me thinking on a loaf or two.
    Best of luck on your next starter friend, Dom! What will you name this next ?

  12. Please Do Not Feed The Animals. says

    7 June 2011 at 1:44 pm

    Poor Lucretia. I don't know if you should be allowed the responsibility of looking after another one.
    Ha ha – says me – my starter lasted only about 4 loaves of bread! And that was the one I paid a ridiculous amount of money for. The one I made myself lasted one loaf before getting ditched.
    These loaves look wonderful and I love walnut bread. Now I'm craving some blue cheese. Gotta go track some down.

  13. Phil Lowe says

    7 June 2011 at 8:32 pm

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  14. Phil Lowe says

    7 June 2011 at 8:35 pm

    Poor Lucretia: always upper crust and never ever loafed around. RIP

  15. Hester Casey - Alchemy says

    8 June 2011 at 8:49 am

    “Who is Lucretia?” I thought, when I saw your title. Cat? Budgie? Goldfish? Oh no! Not your sourdough starter – noooooooooooo! That is too tragic.

  16. Marmaduke Scarlet says

    8 June 2011 at 10:47 am

    I have a suggestion for a different type of starter . . . the only problem is that it takes a few months to really get going and you have to remember not to cook it . . . go down the pate fermente route (i.e. keeping a handful of the old dough back and putting it into the next loaf). Havings said that . . . I have loads if you want me to post you some or hand it over in person next time you're in London. I am really serious Dom – my “old dough” is about 6 years old now and makes beautifully sour loaves. I am more than happy to share!

  17. Dom at Belleau Kitchen says

    8 June 2011 at 4:23 pm

    oh MS… that would be so lovely!

  18. Chele says

    8 June 2011 at 6:29 pm

    Poor Lucretia. Does it comfort you to know that my starter (for the 4th or 5th time!) has also gone the way of the dodo and never even made it into a bread in the first place!

  19. briarrose says

    8 June 2011 at 6:41 pm

    Ehehehe….when good sourdough starter goes bad. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Gorgeous loaves.

  20. Liz says

    9 June 2011 at 7:31 pm

    Oh dear I am so sorry- I am consoled though that other too have had sourdough deaths – mine have never got beyond toddlerdom never mind puberty…look forward to hearing about the birth of Lucretia 2

  21. Michael Toa says

    13 June 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Oh, I am so sorry Dom…
    How tragic. I hope you'll have a new lucretia soon.

  22. viagra online says

    23 February 2012 at 3:21 pm

    pour Lucretia, now she rest in peace! what a shame, she was so adorable.

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About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read Moreโ€ฆ

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