Just the shape of this traditional loaf of bread is reminiscent of ploughman's lunches and warm cottage kitchens! A delightfully shaped loaf of bread, which represents all that is rustic and rural in Britain, but especially England. This bread keeps well and makes lovely, if odd shaped sandwiches! Cut the loaf into wedges and serve with freshly churned butter and a hunk of mature Cheddar cheese, maybe with a pickled onion or two. Quintessential British bread at its best. This reminds me of baking days in my grandmothers’ old cottage, sitting in her warm and cosy kitchen; she would have baked this in her wood burning Aga stove, as I sometimes do in the winter when my Godin wood burning stove is working. I often leave the first batch of dough to prove and rise overnight - leave it in a cool but NOT cold place, and then continue shaping and proving it next morning. We used to call this wooden spoon bread when we were little, as you push a wooden spoon down through the two loaves to stick them together before baking! Preparation time includes the proving of the dough - but NOT the overnight method!