New doughnuts, biscuits, pretzels, loaf cakes, buns, and flapjacks featuring classic combinations or twists on traditions have been rolled out recently by suppliers.
There are some summer flavour inclusions like strawberry and coconut, as well as NPD inspired by classic recipes such as Bakewell tarts and Cinnamon Buns (one of the debutants is an updated version of this). There’s also new a snackable format from a famous shortbread maker, plus a bakery category debut from a household syrup brand.
Here’s the full details on the eight sweet bakery newcomers brought to market:
Filly Strawberry Doughnut, Baker & Baker
Following a successful launch in key European markets including Germany, these limited-edition treats (see picture above) from sweet bakery supplier Baker & Baker are now available for UK consumers to enjoy over the summer.
The ring doughnuts – which contain no artificial colourings, flavours, preservatives or eggs and are suitable for vegetarians – are filled with a fruity strawberry filling and topped with pink icing and red sugar pearls. Sold frozen to foodservice operators and retailers, they simply require thawing before serving and offer a two-day shelf life.
“Strawberries are always associated with the fun of summertime,” comments Helen Sinclair, UK marketing manager at Baker & Baker. “And with a summer of sport set to encourage thousands of consumers to visit food outlets across the UK, what better way to celebrate a win.”
The manufacturer recently unveiled investment of almost £2.9m in a new American-style cookie line at its bakery site in the Wirral.
Cherry & Almond Biscuits, Cartwright & Butler
The family-run firm – which has been baking teatime treats in East Yorkshire for over 115 years – sees the new Cherry & Almond flavour added to its biscuit range of more than 15 other varieties including Stem Ginger, Pistachio, and Strawberry & White Chocolate.
Cartwright & Butler noted that its recent consumer survey found 70% of respondents identifying the classic flavour combo of Cherry & Almond (inspired by the Bakewell Tart) as their preferred flavour profile in biscuits. The newly launched product features a mix of crumbly biscuit, glace cherry pieces, ground almonds, and almond extract. It is available in 200g pastel pink tins (rsp: £12) at Waitrose, WH Smiths, Selfridges, Harrods, and Dufry stores as well as via Ocado and the brand’s own website.
Cinnamon Bun Flavoured Pretzels, Flipz
The Pladis-owned snack brand has expanded its sweet-savoury pretzel range with the new limited-edition cinnamon bun flavour. The NPD launch is said to appeal to shoppers on the lookout for innovative sharing snacks inspired by the hottest trending flavours. Sharing pouches (rsp: £1.65 | 90g) and price-marked packs (£1.25 | 80g) are being launched at Co-op and Nisa stores first before wider rollout for convenience retailers and wholesale channels.
“UK consumption of cinnamon products has increased by 59.5% since 2016, partly thanks to the growing popularity of bakeries that specialise in cinnamon buns,” said Adam Woolf, marketing director – McVitie’s at Pladis UK&I, citing the UK’s Cinnamon Market Report 2022 by Indexbox. “With 14% CAGR forecasted for cinnamon products between now and 2027, now is the perfect time for us to expand the Flipz range with this on trend flavour,” he added.
According to Brand Value Sales data, Flipz has been one of the biggest snack brands to launch over the past five years, with a current worth of £12.7m (Nielsen data to 4 May 2024). Starting out with its classic Milk Chocolate variant, it has since added on-trend flavours of Cookies & Cream, Peanut Butter, and Salted Caramel.
Jam & Coconut Mega Loaf, Yorkshire Baking Company
Another limited-edition flavour has been added to the loaf cake range of the Bradford-based manufacturer, owned by Regal Food Products. The newly developed Jam & Coconut Mega Loaf (rsp £2.50) will be available at Morrisons stores from 19 June, where it’ll be joined by the brand’s Banana and Carrot flavours, which are being brought back after an initial launch in March.
“This summer, we wanted to introduce something new and exciting to the bakery market,” said Arainn Cleland, sales director at Yorkshire Baking Company. “Whilst the combination of jam and coconut remains a British classic, it was our aim to add our own modern twist by launching this family favourite in our great value Mega Loaf format.”
Cinnamon Bun, Birds Bakery
The East Midlands bakery chain claims the latest addition to its breakfast menu has been ‘a long time in the baking’, describing it as a hybrid between a croissant and a Danish pastry with a bespoke cinnamon filling. The cinnamon bun features 72 layers of rich, all-butter, flaky pastry – specially created by one of Birds’ master bakers.
“Our talented product innovation specialist, with the help of our talented bakers, has spent a considerable amount of time perfecting the recipe to refine the ideal swirl, texture, and flavour,” commented Jamie Bird, director of strategy at Birds. He added that the buns are hand-rolled tightly and cut to size before being dipped into warm fondant after cooling from the oven to give them a sweet, glossy glaze.
The Cinnamon Bun can be purchased at any of Birds Bakery’s 61 stores or online for home delivery via its Birds By Post service. The company created a limited-edition Double Chocolate Doughnut last month in celebration of National Doughnut Week 2024.
Caramel Doughnuts, Morrisons
The retailer has announced that caramel has become a permanent fixture in its fresh doughnut range. The new Caramel Doughnut joins the strawberry, raspberry, and custard varieties, which are all priced at 90p for a five-pack and sold at Morrisons’ Market Street in-store bakery counters.
According to Morrisons, shoppers were said to consume over 69 million doughnuts from its bakeries last year. Other new sweet treats launched recently include Fresh Cream Lemon Ball Doughnuts (rsp: £1 for a two-pack), Cinnamon Mini Doughnuts (£1 for an eight-pack) and Fresh Cream Caramelised Biscuit Ball Doughnuts (£1 for a two-pack).
The top flavour trends 2024 report in British Baker had previously tipped nostalgia-evoking caramel to be one of this year’s most popular inclusions.
Wee Shorties, Walker’s
This innovative snacking range from the Scottish brand features its famous all-butter shortbread in either bite-sized mini fingers or mini cookie-shaped pieces with chocolate chips. Sold in in 15-bag multipacks, the Wee Shorties are available exclusively at WHSmith stores within global travel retail.
Walker’s said the Wee Shorties is set to drive further success by ‘tapping into new consumption moments to recruit the next generation of shortbread lovers’. It said the snackable format appeals to time-poor shoppers looking for a tasty but easily transportable snack.
The launch follows a successful brand refresh and packaging redesign, which aimed to celebrate the Scottish roots of Walker’s while supporting its ambitions for future growth. In its most recent full year accounts, the family-run firm reported a 16% increase in turnover although profits dipped slightly due to a “challenging inflationary environment”.
Flapjacks, Lyle’s Golden Syrup
Having long been a popular bakery ingredient for homemade flapjacks (the brand originated in 1883), Lyle’s Golden Syrup has now entered the ambient snacking category at UK supermarkets. Pitched at consumers’ on-the-go purchase habits, the new flapjacks are described as ‘gloriously gooey and generous’ as well as ‘delivering a well-rounded, enticing take on the well-loved British classic’.
The launch is being accompanied by a six-figure marketing campaign comprising of e-commerce advertising, in-store sampling and paid social. Multipacks of five individually wrapped flapjacks (rsp: £2.50) are being rolled out at Sainsbury’s stores and via Ocado this month.
“We’re sure that our launch, crafted with the care and quality you’d expect from Lyle’s, can simultaneously provide a great tasting product for these consumers, and that bringing the power of the Lyle’s brand to a segment that doesn’t have a clear brand lead will drive incremental value for retailers,” commented Nick James, marketing director for Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
Despite the flapjack packs and plastic bottles of syrup displaying new for 2024 branding (a stylised golden lion head), the company holds a Guinness World Record for the world’s oldest unchanged brand packaging. It’s green and gold tins still feature a dead lion and swarm of bees with the tagline “Out of the strong came forth sweetness”, alluding to the biblical story of Samson.
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