Chefs around the UK are finding alternative uses for their sourdough starters- creating ice-creams, pasta, chocolates and pastries.

Top chefs have told The Telegraph of their quest to create dishes with their leftover starter.

Head chef Matt Williamson of Bristol restaurant Flinty Red said he used the base for pasta, which created a more gentle flavour and chewier texture. 

Meanwhile London’s The Ledbury, ranked 20 in the world’s 50 best restaurants this year, creates a sourdough ice cream, which it uses on sourdough toast with various flavours.

Pump Street Bakery, based in Orford, Suffolk has even created chocolate bars, after drawing similarities between making the products. The company makes a dark chocolate and white sourdough bar with sourdough breadcrumbs and sea salt, and also a second, milk chocolate and rye sourdough dusted with crumbs.

The bakery said: “This is a unique combination and to our knowledge the first time a chocolate bar has been made with sourdough.”

-          Have you experimented with your sourdough starters? British Baker wants to know. Email Bronya.smolen@wrbm.com