World-First “Functional Pasta” Launches at CIRCA

This Wednesday (4th February) see’s the launch a new ‘Functional Pasta’ project.

Totnes High Street is about to become the testing ground for a global first in food innovation. The Fresh Flour Co is teaming up with CIRCA to launch a collaboration that is as much about ancient wisdom as it is about modern health. Circa, a Michelin Guide recommended spot, focuses on modern European sharing plates prepared with open-flame cooking and fermented elements.

The Fresh Flour company is a local mill, founded by Andrew Gilhespy, operating with a “counter-culture” food philosophy. The artisan producer partners with organic farmers to grow, mill, and create products from ancient and heritage wheat varieties. They pay organic farmers significantly above market rates—four to five times the standard rate—to ensure sustainable soil stewardship and aims to re-integrate mills into towns across Britain to reconnect people with their food sources.

What is Functional Pasta?

The partnership centers on a “Slow Grown – Stone Milled – Fast Cooked” approach. While the mills heritage grains are grown slowly over eighteen months and stone-milled locally to preserve nutrients, the resulting fresh pasta cooks at CIRCA in just 90 seconds.

This Wednesday offers an “Exclusive First Look” at a breakthrough product: pasta infused with Lion’s Mane and Reishi mushrooms. These “nootropic” fungi are renowned for supporting focus and immunity, and they are stone-milled directly into the dough of a new Fresh Egg Pasta – a rich 22% hydration line. Dough hydration is a figure that represents the weight of the liquid relative to the weight of the flour.

Guests will find “Table Talkers” at their seating, detailing the journey from the South Devon fields to the functional benefits on their plate.

As an artist-led business, we are also planning a major public street art installation to follow the launch, which will illustrate this “Soil-to-Plate” journey across the Totnes pavement. For now, the focus is on the flavour. From Lion’s Mane infusions to Fresh Spaghetti with Cod Roe, we invite the community to experience the paradox: a meal that takes a year to grow, but is ready in a heartbeat.