The savoury bakery scene has welcomed two converts from the sweet side, plus new pies, wraps, and rolls.
Flavours on display range from the traditional snacking likes of cheese and salt & vinegar to globally inspired beef bourguignon, chicken Caesar, and Carolina BBQ.
See our round-up below for more details on the savoury bakery innovations unveiled in the UK:
Deep-filled pie range, Brakes
Foodservice wholesaler Brakes has launched a five-strong range of Sysco Premium Deep Fill Pies, named after its parent company.
Each built around a butter-enriched shortcrust pastry crust and deep-filled format, the varieties include Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Ham Hock & Leek, Venison & Port, and Chicken Leek & Wholegrain Mustard, plus Barber’s Cheddar Potato & Onion as a vegetarian option.
Lids are hand finished with distinctive toppings such as cracked black pepper or rosemary, helping busy kitchens quickly identify varieties during service. Fillings are slow-cooked to ensure tenderness and a fully-developed flavour, and are produced in small oven cooked batches rather than the large kettles used in most large-scale production, the firm said.
The Beef Bourguignon Deep Fill Shortcrust Pie, supplied by Devon-based premium bakery produced Little & Cull, recently won the Beef & Vegetable Pie class at the British Pie Awards 2026, with other Sysco pies also claiming awards.
Penguin Bites, McVitie’s
After nearly 100 years of making its Penguin chocolate sandwich biscuits, McVitie’s is taking the historic brand into the savoury snacking category for the first time.
The new bite-sized and baked Penguin Bites take the shape of the flightless seabird, and are available in 125g sharing boxes in three flavours of Cheese, Salt & Vinegar and Lightly Salted flavours (rsp: £2). The 15 June launch was accompanied by in-store activations, social media and PR under the strapline: ‘McVitie’s Penguins have gone crackers!’
Asli Ozen Turhan, chief marketing officer at Pladis UK&I (which owns the McVitie’s brand) notes that Penguin has “some of the most recognisable distinct brand assets in the UK”, with 92% awareness [Kantar Worldpanel data, July 2025]. “Our ambition is to make Penguin more than just a static character on chocolate biscuit bars. We want this cheeky icon’s wit and character to waddle into a new savoury era,” he said, pointing to accelerated growth in snacks for sharable occasions.
Chicken Caesar salad wrap, Tortilla
Fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand Tortilla has unveiled its summer menu starring a new Cali Caesar Wrap. This combines extra asado chicken (lime and spices marinated), smoky chorizo, Monterey Jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips, fresh lime, cos lettuce and new house-made Cali Caesar dressing, wrapped inside a soft tortilla.
Whilst many wrongly assume Caesar salad hails from Italy, it was actually created in 1924 by restauranteur Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, next to the Mexican border with California. Tortilla’s new menu also features its version of the salad plus a new Hibiscus Lemonade drink.
“Caesar wraps have become one of the biggest food trends of the year,” said Tortilla food director James Garland, who was born in Tijuana.
Cheesy Rascal, Bettys
Another traditionally sweet format getting transformed to savoury is the Cheesy Rascal from Yorkshire bakery brand Bettys.
Based on the Fat Rascal fruity scone first introduced at Bettys tea rooms in 1983, the new variant is baked with “plenty of Cheddar and Gruyère for a wonderfully bold, cheesy punch”. It also features sundried tomatoes, a hint of mustard, and a pinch of fragrant herbs for “added depth to its flavourful mischief” – while olives and cashews help create the “charming little face that gives it such character”.
Freshly baked at the company’s craft bakery in Harrogate, the Cheesy Rascals are available for home delivery in boxes of four (rsp: £16.95), whilst also being available at its five tea rooms. They join another scone spinoff, the Gooey Rascal, which has a molten centre of chocolate and caramel.
Football-inspired roll and wrap, M&S
As the English men’s football team roars into the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, M&S has put “on-the-go eating firm on the front foot” with its new The Lion’s Share Roll (rsp: £4.25) at food halls nationwide.
Launched under its ‘Eat Well’ range and produced under official partnership with the England teams, the roll is shaped in a distinct football pattern and contains roasted British chicken slices with tangy mustard mayonnaise, sauerkraut, pickled carrot, and iron-rich spinach.
M&S has also been inspired by the US’ hosting of the football tournament to roll out a limited-edition Sweet Carolina BBQ Chicken Wrap (rsp: £3.90) featuring roasted British chicken, sweet Carolina BBQ sauce, buttermilk ranch slaw and spinach inside soft tortilla. And there’s the Deli Meats Sandwich (rsp: £5.50) made with focaccia, British roast ham, spiced mayo, Emmental cheese, Milano salami and spinach.
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