Welcome back to the ALL THINGS FOOD podcast and to season 2. This week host Nickie Hursthouse talks to Vanessa Kimbell about all things sourdough, french baking and the gut microbiome.
For those of you who don’t know Vanessa, her expertise in bread and the gut microbiome is second to none. Day-to-day Vanessa runs The Sourdough School in Northamptonshire where she teaches sourdough and how to bake bread for optimal health. Vanessa is also a best-selling author, with a fifth cookbook that launched in September.
On top of all of this Vanessa is completing her PhD in nutrition and digestibility of bread and mental health. She is passionate about understanding the connection between our food, the gut microbiome and the potential impact on mental health.
This episode talks about:
- The art and science of sourdough
- Becoming a baker and beginner tips for sourdough baking
- Fermentation, plant diversity and fibre to enhance digestion
- Battling the embarrassing symptoms of IBS and a relentless desire to find the answers
- Linking the gut microbiome to our overall physical and mental health
- How you can use baking to form connection and pay if forward
You can find out more about The Sourdough School and access the free recipes to get started, read more about joining the The Sourdough Club, and view all of Vanessa’s books online.You can also head over to Instagram and follow @sourdoughclub, @sourdoughschool and @vanessakimbell
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of All Things Food! If you loved this episode please consider leaving a review so more people can discover the podcast.
Until next week, you can follow the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @nourishwithnickie and if you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review as it helps more people to discover the podcast :)



