News and Trends

Mince pies are back on shelves, Christmas decorations are going up in shops, and there’s a faint sound of sleigh bells jingling in the distance which can mean only one thing – Christmas is coming! Thankfully, the nation’s bakers are prepared with a slew of sweet and savoury innovation to warm the cockles (or simply bring some joy to the colder months). With so much happening,  British Baker  has been busy unwrapping the trends adding flair to festive fare this year. Take a peek here: Treat yourself (within reason) Mince pies? Treat yo self. Beef wellingtons? Treat yo self. Christmas sandwiches? Treat yo self. You get the gist. But unlike the Tom and Donna in TV show  Parks & Recreation , shoppers are looking to treat themselves with festive food and drink rather than mimosas, massages, and fine leather goods. “Consumers tend to spend more at Christmas, with many tapping into the ‘treat themselves’ culture of the season,” says Howard Edwards, senior account manager – foodservice at

Bakers across the UK are looking to fright and delight consumers this Halloween with an eerie array of sweet treats. Biscuits, cakes, doughnuts, cheesecakes, pastries, traybakes, and buns are among the ten terrifying creations launched for the spooky season, many of which showcasing some top-tier decoration skills. Here are more details on each: Cheesecake and eclairs, The Delicious Dessert Company Two hauntingly good, limited-edition sweet treats have been rolled out in dual-packs at Tesco stores by the Bakkavor-owned brand. The Mummified Eclair features choux pastry filled with a rich chocolate mousse, encased in white chocolate lacing. Meanwhile, the Cookies & Scream Cheesecakes comprise vanilla-flavoured cheesecake mixed with cookie pieces loaded on a rich cocoa biscuit crumb, topped with a rich chocolate ganache and finished with cookie crumbs. The Delicious Dessert Company pointed to new research revealing that eclairs and cheesecake slices are the joint most popular desserts

Waitrose has expanded its instore self-serve bakery and patisserie range. The supermarket will launch 30 new savoury, sweet, snacking and bread lines throughout October, as part of an expansion of its instore bakery counters. Waitrose executives see the category as a crucial area of growth for the high end grocer. The expanded range includes 15 brand new “trend driven” savoury lines including a Cheese & Onion Tear and Share Bread and a Jalapeno & Cheddar Breadstick. It also includes 14 new self-serve patisserie lines, including a Tiramisu Bun, a Triple Butterscotch Bun and No.1 Cinnamon Croissant Cups. Waitrose has also launched a new bagged doughnut range. “Our focus on freshness and quality has led us to introduce more products that can be baked instore, providing our customers with an increased sensory experience, “said Elizabeth Greenman, Waitrose bakery product developer. “This includes our No.1 Sourdough Baguette, which has been crafted and slowly fermented for 36 hours,

  Source: The Grocer  By  Stephen Jones 11 October 2024 Sainsbury’s announced its first ever airport store in Edinburgh in October Sainsbury’s is to kick off a major overhaul of its Local  convenience  stores. The multi-month programme began this weekend and will see Sainsbury’s conduct a range review of products, as well as adjust store layouts and spacing across its 800-odd convenience estate. Executives believe Sainsbury’s current convenience offer could better serve shoppers local to the stores. Therefore, they will look to rebalance the layout of stores, including by removing lines or adding new ones. It could also bolster the number of food to go or ‘dine in’ options available. It is also understood they to want to increase the number of categories and lines available at some locations where the supermarket believes demand is currently underserved.  The Grocer understands that the supermarket began informing  suppliers  about the changes earlier this month. The changes broadly mi