Gluten-free business Rule of Crumb has defended its award-winning white roll, after it was dubbed “truly horrible” on BBC2’s Dragons’ Den last night. 

Entrepreneur and dragon Nick Jenkins criticised the product, which won a Great Taste award last week. He said: “I don’t eat gluten and I find that in restaurants you just don’t eat the bread. There is stuff which is naturally gluten-free.

“If you try to create a white bread roll then it’s going to be absolutely rank.” After eating the roll he claimed: “That is horrible, that really is truly horrible.”

Colum McLornan, director at the Northern Irish business Rule of Crumb, told British Baker he thought Jenkins simply did not grasp the idea that consumers want gluten-free alternatives and don’t just want to eat food that is naturally gluten-free.

He also said that, since the show, the company had received numerous orders from the website for its products, including the Part-baked Frozen Gluten Free Bread Roll, and that the company had received interest from major retailers and foodservice companies before appearing on the Den.

McLornan said: “It actually won a Great Taste award last week. In the pitch I think Nick said his own chef prepares food for himself and his partner, so he doesn’t seem to eat the normal things you and I might eat for breakfast.

“I think the Great Taste award judges would be the people that would know what good food tastes like, so we knew already before we went on it was a good roll.”

He also said that the rolls were not at their best, as had been baked-off five hours prior to pitching at 7am that morning to be used for display purposes only.

The business also sells muffins and white bread, and said it would be extending its bakery range as the company grows. 

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