It’s been a busy year for bakery in the NPD department, with a raft of interesting, innovative and, in some cases, unusual products hitting supermarket shelves.

Here are some of our favourite launches of the past year:

Cadbury Choc Tarts

Premier Foods continued its successful NPD streak with Cadbury Choc Tarts, available in four flavours – Crunchie, Caramel, Mini Egg and Flake. The NPD was designed to draw in younger shoppers to the small tarts and pies segment.

Warburtons Toastie Pockets

Toasted sandwiches got more convenient thanks to innovation from Warburtons. The Toastie Pockets, available in four-packs of brown or white, can be filled and popped in the toaster for a hot sandwich in very little time.

Dracula’s Devil Garlic Bread

Vampires had a tough time this Halloween as Morrisons released its super-strength garlic bread, said to be 600% stronger than a traditional garlic flatbread. The effects could last up to 12 hours, the retailer warned, thanks to a unique blend of three types of garlic.

Sainsbury’s in-store gluten-free bread

Sainsbury’s targeted the booming free-from category with the launch of six gluten-free breads as part of its in-store bakery offering. The retailer claimed this was a first for a UK supermarket, with white and seeded farmhouse loaves, rolls and batons among the range.

Hovis Lower Carb

Hovis tapped into the demand for healthier bread with the launch of its three-strong Lower-Carb range. The new recipe contains 30% fewer carbs per 100g compared with other white sliced, seeded or wholemeal bread on the market.

Mary Berry Cakes

Finsbury Foods teamed up with the Queen of cakes Mary Berry to launch a range of ready-to-eat treats. This included traditional favourites such as Carrot Cake, Lemon Drizzle and Death by Chocolate Cake alongside a Banana Fudge Loaf and Rose Celebration Cake.

Mars Choc Brownie

Mars blurred the line between confectionery and bakery in May with its Mars Choc Brownie. The move was designed to tap into the increasing demand for cakes and pastry products as snacks, particularly among millennials.

Gin & Tonic Fun Buns

In September, Roberts Bakery shook up the bread category with a radical rebranding and NPD roll out, including Gin & Tonic Fun Buns. The teacakes, according to Roberts, have a lemony zing to them and feature sultanas and currants as well as cinnamon and nutmeg.

Genius Half Loaves

Genius Gluten Free relaunched in September with the support of a £1m marketing campaign and two new products – Half Loaves. The eight-slice loaves come in Toastie and Wholesome Five Seeded variants priced at £1.75 each.

Lower-Sugar Disney Cakes

Finsbury rolled out lower-sugar cakes across its licensed Disney range which includes Star Wars, Marvel Avengers, Disney Pixar Cars and Frozen cakes. The chocolate celebration cakes contain 40% less sugar than rival products, according to Finsbury. 

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