From spicy savouries to wraps with dips, sweet treat hybrids to seasonal fruit-filled desserts, Co-op is warmly embracing bakery trends in its summer range.
The raft of new items forms part of a line-up of nearly 100 own-label lines recently launched at stores that are said to champion the retailer’s commitment to ethical sourcing, convenience, and quality food with a focus on British produce. Co-op noted that the summer months were a peak period across its 2,300 UK shop estate, and its expertise in convenience allow it to be best placed to cater to last-minute get-togethers without the fuss.
“This summer, we’ve put our foot on the peddle to drive newness, product innovation, increase the breadth of our range and jump on the season’s hottest food trends,” commented Nicole Tallant, director of Co-op own brand.
Party food
Described as perfect grazing options for dining alfresco, the Bruschetta Platter (rsp: £4.25) on Co-op’s premium tier Irresistible range has ready-to-eat bruschetta topped with sweet roasted red pepper sauce, tomato, basil pesto and mozzarella pearls.
Also launching on the Irresistible range is a trio of spicier snacks. The Cheese & Habenero Chilli Jam Pinwheels (£3.50) feature smoky habanero chilli jam and West Country Cheddar cheese wrapped in flaky extra mature Cheddar cheese puff pastry; the Pork & Sriracha Dinky Pork Pies (£4) are made with outdoor-bred British pork seasoned with sriracha and chilli in pastry with a crumb topping; and the Feta & Honey Parcels (£3.60) have a Greek Feta and honey mix in a hand-folded, three-pinch parcel comprised of polenta and red chilli pastry.
Completing the spread is the Irresistible Prosciutto Cotto, Salami & Pesto Pizza (£5.95), boasting toppings of SunBlush cherry tomatoes, Charcuti milano salami, prosciutto cotto, basil pesto, ricotta, and mascarpone cheese.
Food to go
Following on from its first-to-market wrap with a dip rolled out last Christmas, Co-op has created three more such variants for the summer.
Two are on its Global Menu range, taking customers on a taste journey to the US and India. The Cheeseburger Wrap (£4.25) contains seasoned British beef, Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce, cheese and gherkin mayo, and ketchup in a tomato tortilla wrap, with a burger sauce for dipping it into. The Gunpowder Chicken Wrap (£4.25) has diced British chicken and crispy onions in a spiced mayo mix with bhaji, roast peppers, pink pickled onions, spring onions, coriander, mango chutney, and spinach in a bar-marked tortilla wrap, accompanied by a spiced mango dip.
There’s also a ‘Deliciously Dippable’ wrap under the Irresistible tier – the Margherita Inspired Pizza Wrap (£4.35), which features creamy mozzarella with tomatoes, pesto soft cheese, spinach, and rocket in a plain tortilla wrap, served with a marinara dip.
A final food-to-go option is the limited edition Irresistible Seriously Saucy Chicken Sandwich (£4.25), comprising shredded British chicken breast with paprika shoestring fries in ultimate sauce and ranch coleslaw on onion bread.
Sweet treats and desserts
Tapping into rising demand for indulgent croissants and pastry hybrids is the limited edition Chocolate Hazelnut Cookiessant (£1.20), a version of the viral ‘crookie’ that has a chocolate hazelnut croissant topped with a chewy cookie.
For fruit fans, the limited edition Irresistible Blueberry, Lemon & White Chocolate Cookies (£2 | four-pack) are made up of blueberry flavour cookies with Belgian white chocolate chunks, apple-infused dried blueberries and lemon peel.
The summer fruit of raspberry, meanwhile, appears in two out of three new slices at Co-op. It’s paired with the persistently trending pistachio – as Sainsbury’s did with its pavlova and Tesco did with its tarts – for the Irresistible Raspberry & Pistachio Slices (£3 | four-pack), which are white chocolate blondies topped with raspberry buttercream, sweet dried raspberries, and pistachio pieces.
Then there’s the Irresistible Peach & Raspberry Cheesecake Slices (£3.75 | two-pack), creamy vanilla cheesecake on a buttery biscuit crumb base, finished with swirls of raspberry and peach coulis. The third slice picks up on another lingering flavour trend. The Irresistible Salted Caramel Butter Brownie Slices (£3 | four-pack) have rich chocolate brownies topped with salted caramel frosting and milk chocolate flakes.
A collection of cakes rounds off the seasonal list. The Irresistible Caramel Latte Sponge Cakes (£3 | four-pack) are soft caramel sponge topped with cream frosting, a dusting of coffee and a mocha chocolate bean; and the Irresistible Victoria Sponge Cakes (£3 | four-pack) are soft vanilla sponge filled with raspberry jam, topped with vanilla buttercream and a sweet raspberry dusting.
The Irresistible Raspberry & Sicilian Lemon Cake (£7 | 7-inch) features a soft sponge cake filled with raspberry jam, topped with a sweet Sicilian lemon curd buttercream and zesty lemon curd, and hand finished with a dusting of dried raspberries. Lastly, the limited-edition Irresistible Eton Mess Cake (£3.25 | 5.5-inch) comprises a vanilla sponge filled with strawberry jam, topped with a clotted cream flavour frosting, strawberry jam and crisp meringue pieces.
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