Faced with having to give up bread because of a gluten intolerance, little did I know when I went searching for a book on sourdough, that the book I chose would lead me down such an exciting path of exploration. ‘The Sourdough School’ is unlike any cookery book I had read before and I realised I was going to have to really sit down and study this one, rather than choose a recipe and start cooking. My husband was so entranced by my enthusiasm that he offered the 2 day Sourdough for Health to me as my 60th birthday present. I can only say that this was like no other cookery course I had been on. Right from the word go, Vanessa entranced us with her infectious enthusiasm for the world of sourdough and fermentation and how it could improve our health but also how enjoyable it could be. Our group gelled really quickly and I felt I had joined a community of like-minded passionate people. We ate the most beautiful food for lunch and Vanessa’s generosity with her recipes and experience knows no bounds and the two days sped past. The course did not end on Sunday evening as we also have access to a detailed website with background research, detailed ‘how to’ pages and recipes. I cannot thank Vanessa enough for starting me on my sourdough journey and for her passion to share sourdough with everyone.