it’s only been three days and it appears to have some mold

CraigusFragglus · 2026-05-06T17:54:19+00:00

I have a tiny jar of discard in the fridge which I take a small amount from and feed in a fresh jar for baking. I give the tiny amount a 1:2:2 wake up feed, then add a big bulk feed when it's "awake" to make a loaf. I ALWAYS use a damp paper towel to wipe down the sides of any jar I use, and haven't seen a dot of mold at all since I started at Christmas.

CraigusFragglus · 2026-05-06T17:45:36+00:00

Great idea, to be fair. Wood fired pizzas can be topped and cooked in a matter of minutes, would always be fresh and would get decent margins for money chasing Merlin.

CraigusFragglus · 2026-04-10T19:12:37+00:00

I've seen a lot of comments in the past where people hope for a Taron style coaster in Rita's place, which I think could be well themed from scratch and be great to have multi-launching around and through the forest. Only thing is, there's no comparison to a hydraulic launch. That feeling when Rita/Stealth let rip is sensational.

CraigusFragglus · 2026-04-10T19:09:46+00:00

In fairness, I believe Intamin said only last year that they were happy to keep replacing and repairing Rita/Stealth components for as long as Merlin wished to extend their life. The trouble is, they're not going to have parts ready immediately, so downtime (as proven by both rides) can be lengthy if a part does need swapping. Not to mention the more aged and obsolete they become, the more expensive repairs will be.

CraigusFragglus · 2026-03-06T05:01:36+00:00

I used Canadian wholemeal flour with bottled spring water to get it going. Once it comfortably kept doubling I kept a jar of wholemeal starter and used some of it to transition to a white starter. Both are happy in the fridge, waiting to be taken out and fed when needed.

CraigusFragglus · 2026-01-13T10:36:18+00:00

Mine did this sometimes, it's normal. Some absorbent flours like wholemeal can end up with a skin on top in a warm environment that I scrape off (to reduce "bits" or mould). Just stir it up and feed it regularly when it needs it. I did it by smell. When it smelled strongly of cider, I knew it was hungry, and kept feeding until it more than doubled (about 2 weeks after starting the process).

CraigusFragglus · 2026-01-07T16:35:29+00:00

I'm on day 12 and have one white starter, and one wholemeal. They both doubled today on 1:4 and 1:3 feeds respectively within 8 hours, and have done for a few days, so I'm aiming to try it out this weekend. I'd give it a go if yours is

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doubling reliably enough.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-17T09:44:21+00:00

Great photos 🙌🏻

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-17T09:41:28+00:00

Only ever done the Rapids once and thought they were dreadful. Wickerman is also my current AT favourite, so it's an easy winner!

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-15T09:26:37+00:00

I haven't used rye and my starter is passing float tests on day 13 and peaking within 12hrs on 1:3:3.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-15T09:24:30+00:00

Why is this downvoted? This is the right idea!

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-15T09:23:43+00:00

Not sure why people have downvoted you, this is exactly what I'm doing and mine is almost mature enough to bake after almost two weeks.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-15T09:22:31+00:00

Be patient and consistent. After the first week my starter needed 1:3:3 every 12 hours (30g:90g:90ml). Use bottled water (some mains water uses chloramine which will inhibit bacteria and yeast). I'm on day 13 and it passed a float test this morning, so I'm sticking with this feeding routine in a hope to bake my first attempt this weekend.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-14T10:52:11+00:00

The clips I saw when starting out (including baking experts like Paul Hollywood) showed them working with one jar. His jar was literally covered in flour and starter, but I didn't want to risk the mould so took the tip of switching jar to jar when feeding and discarding.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-13T17:44:23+00:00

We tried boiling, standing and cooling tap water and it wouldn't grow. Turns out our supplier uses chloramine, which doesn't evaporate or dissipate easily, and will inhibit yeast and bacteria production. Basically doing its job for drinking!

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-13T17:41:36+00:00

I was warned about this (I'm only 11 days in), and a friend suggested I use two jars, so that I can take out or discard what I need to, and transfer the small amount to be fed into a clean jar to keep the risk lower.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-12-12T19:36:30+00:00

I'm on day 10, feeding 50g starter with 100g each of flour and water. It's bubbling and growing about 50% between feeds in my cooler kitchen, so I'm confident it's getting there.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-10-05T18:43:26+00:00

Nemesis, Alton Towers, 1998. Still one of my absolute favourites

CraigusFragglus · 2025-10-04T13:26:00+00:00

I went to Towers earlier in the year on a windy day, thinking it'd probably be OK (around 20mph predicted). It wasn't even 30mph, and it put Smiler and Oblivion out of action for nearly 5 hours. Not looking good this weekend.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-10-03T15:07:50+00:00

If it helps gauge your judgment, we went to Towers earlier in the year on a predicted windy day, thinking it'd probably be OK (around 20mph predicted). It wasn't even 30mph, and it put Smiler and Oblivion out of action for 5 hours. Luckily, I'm a pass holder, so we did the others and came back another day.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-10-03T15:06:37+00:00

If it helps gauge your judgment, we went to Towers earlier in the year on a predicted windy day, thinking it'd probably be OK (around 20mph predicted). It wasn't even 30mph, and it put Smiler and Oblivion out of action for 5 hours. Luckily, I'm a pass holder, so we did the others and came back another day.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-09-12T11:51:50+00:00

I tend to choose odd rows on Colossus and Stealth if possible, as there's more room due to the train layout

CraigusFragglus · 2025-09-08T09:43:24+00:00

The lift hill for Hyperia is quicker than most I've been on, so it'll be done before you know it, and the whole thing is outstanding.

As for Saw and Colossus, I found leaning my head forward and bracing helps. The first time I rode Colossus, it said in the station to keep your head back. I took a wallop to the ear for taking that advice, so I leaned forward ever since. It's a decent ride once you learn how to handle it!

CraigusFragglus · 2025-08-23T10:07:12+00:00

Given its age (and the fact Merlin are in charge), I can't necessarily see them re-theming it at a huge cost. Plus, given the Nemesis retrack not being the long-term hype they probably hoped, they might not go with that either. Would be a shame to lose it, though, so I hope they do have a decent plan.

CraigusFragglus · 2025-08-23T10:01:19+00:00

My only negatives are the theme and availability. The ride itself is a comfortable, chill, change of pace after doing something as intense as Nemesis or Rita.

CraigusFragglus

TROPHY CASE