Artificial Artisan

Supermarket sourdough is a swindle, plain and simple. They’ve taken what should be a labour of love – flour, water, salt, and time – and turned it into yet another lifeless product to shift off the shelves. The sad part? They’ve done it so well that most people don’t even realise they’re being had. Those loaves, with their perfect imperfections and their carefully crafted, rustic paper sleeves, are about as "artisan" as a microwave meal.

 

Real sourdough, the proper stuff, takes patience. It’s about letting wild yeasts and bacteria do their thing, building flavour over hours, sometimes days. But the supermarket version? It’s made in a factory, with shortcuts everywhere. They might chuck in a token dollop of starter, just enough to tick the box, but the rest is pumped full of commercial yeast and stabilisers to churn it out quickly and cheaply. It looks the part, sure, but bite into it and you’ll find it’s got all the soul of a wet sponge.

What really sticks in the craw is the effect it has on the people who are actually putting in the hard work. Bakers who are up before dawn, shaping loaves by hand, can’t compete with this industrialised fakery. Why would most punters pay a bit more for the real deal when Tesco’s got a “sourdough” for half the price? And the supermarkets know this – they’re co-opting the language and aesthetics of tradition to con people into thinking they’re buying something special, while undermining the very idea of craft itself.

This isn’t just about bread, either. It’s the same story with everything from “farmhouse” cheese to “handmade” candles. It’s all been polished up, mass-produced, and flogged as if it came from someone’s workshop rather than a factory floor. It cheapens the real thing, turning proper craftsmanship into a marketing gimmick.

So what’s the answer? Stop falling for it! If you want sourdough, go to a proper bakery or have a crack at making your own. At least you’ll know what’s gone into it. And if you’re shopping, read the label. Real sourdough doesn’t need a list of ingredients as long as your arm. Flour, water, salt and some oil – that’s it.

Don’t let them mug you off with their faux-artisan nonsense. Demand better, because if we don’t, the real stuff will vanish, and we’ll be left with nothing but tasteless, factory-made imitations.