I've just made my first ever starter, wheatflour, according to the 'flour and water only' method found in Andrew Whitley's "Bread Matters".  It smells pretty evil, though there's no mould, and it rises.  Kind of very strong blue cheese / feety type smell that I've noticed others mention here, but definitely not inviting or appetising!

So, I did some searching around here and found mention of bacteria called 'leuconostoc'.  Googling it, I found the Wikipedia entry saying that this stuff is potentially dangerous.  As I haven't made sourdough before, I've kept my fingers crossed and got all the way through to the proving stage.  I'm wondering if I should be dropping the whole lot in the bin, and burning the starter pot / mixing bowl etc.  Well, not quite, but you get the picture. :)