There was innovation aplenty in the bakery market in 2024 with new sweet and savoury options to keep shoppers engaged, happy, and healthy.
Unusual flavours, HFSS compliant treats, bold bread brands, and indulgent pastries were among the items rolled out.
Here, British Baker reveals some of its favourite new products to hit shelves in 2024:
Nduja & Cheddar Toastie, Jason’s Sourdough
Jason’s Sourdough looked to supercharge its growth by venturing into the food-to-go market with a range of toasties. Partnering with specialist Around Noon, it rolled out a four-strong range featuring classic combos and on-trend flavours, such as Nduja & Mature Cornish Cheddar and Kimchi & Mature Cornish Cheddar nestled between slices of its ciabattin loaves. Geary’s Bakeries, which owns Bakery Brand of the Year Jason’s Sourdough, described the move as a ‘natural progression’, combining its sourdough with innovative fillings while offering customers a premium experience.
Brown Sugar & Salted Caramel Cake, M&S
M&S looked to give shoppers artisan-style cakes for a fraction of the price when it rolled out its four-strong range of celebration cakes over the summer. All four variants, priced at £20, feature on-trend flavours, lashing of indulgent buttercream, and flavour-soaked sponges but it is the Brown Sugar & Salted Caramel Cake that stands out thanks to its savoury accents. It comprises a brown sugar sponge enriched with dates, topped and filled with sticky salted caramel sauce and caramelised sugar with a rich salty-sweet miso buttercream.
Sliced White, Wildfarmed
It’s perhaps unusual for a sliced white loaf to be named among the top new launches for 2024, but that is exactly what Wildfarmed has achieved thanks to its unique proposition. Having gained traction on the bakery market through its work with artisan bakers, the regenerative food and farming company looked to take its message direct to consumers with the launch of a five-strong bread range in bright and bold packaging. The ‘Wildfarmed Life Changing’ range comprises a sliced white loaf (rsp: £2.80), sliced seeded loaf (rsp: £2.80), white rolls (rsp: £2.50), sourdough (rsp: £4), and seeded sourdough (rsp: £4). All products are free from palm oil or fat, artificial preservatives or emulsifiers.
Kimchi & Smoked Cheese Bear Claw, M’s Bakery
The innovation keeps on coming from Bournemouth-based M’s Bakery which struck gold at the Baking Industry Awards for the second year in a row, this time with its Kimchi & Smoked Cheese Bear Claw. It has on-trend ingredients, a sprinkling of gut health, a smoky yet rich flavour, and crisp, laminated pastry all in a handy on-the-go package. The fusion of East and West cuisines was inspired by a cheese & sauerkraut pastry enjoyed by bakery owner Istvan Nadhazi during a trip to Budapest.
Gold Digestives, McVitie’s
There was a plethora of McVitie’s products to consider including HFSS-compliant Cocoa Rich Tea biscuits, Seriously Chocolatey Digestives, and Cola Bottle Jaffa Cakes but it is the McVitie’s Digestives Gold which has made this list. Why? The simplicity and success of them. The NPD saw Pladis combine its bestselling McVitie’s Digestives with its Gold Bars resulting in a classic golden-baked digestive with the golden caramel chocolate. Pladis said they were created with the latest flavour trends in mind to “unlock another golden sales opportunity” for retailers.
Belgian Waffles, Warburtons
Warburtons yet again is dabbling with sweet treats. The Bolton-based bakery behemoth rolled out Belgian waffles in Choc Chip and Pearl Sugar varieties in September as it looked to tap into the trend of waffles in dessert shops on UK high streets. Its innovation would help consumers to recreate the experience at home – something which had seen 50m units sold over a year with 18% of households enjoying waffles. They come in either a four pack (individually wrapped) or in single-serve portions, granting consumers the option to eat them at home or on the go.
Dark Brown Slab, Gail’s Bakery
Gail’s has been on a mission to improve the nutrition, flavour, and sustainability of its bread range with a raft of reformulated recipes and NPD rolling out over the past year. One of the standout products from this was the Brown Slab, said to be inspired by the old-world loaves of French and German bakers which are designed to utilise the entirety of a farmer’s yield. With a rustic appearance, the wholegrain loaf contains ancient grains including emmer, spelt, heritage wheat and rye, barley, buckwheat and fava bean flours, regenerative wheat and wholegrain wheat.
Tiramisu Danish, Asda
Tiramisu is a delicious dessert in its own right and is now paving its way as a delicious flavour for baked goods. One notable example of this was the Tiramisu Danish from Asda which was added as part of a seasonal rotation for its in-store bakery lines. The pastry is filled with a rich aromatic coffee and creamy mascarpone, finished with tiramisu’s signature dusting of cocoa powder.
Maritozzi Buns, Caffè Nero
Maritozzi Buns were among the bakery items to go viral this summer – and Caffè Nero was among the firms to jump on the bandwagon (although the item was likely on the NPD roster way before it took off on TikTok). The bun, which takes its name from the Italian for “almost-husband” as men would traditionally gift them to their fiancés, is one of the UK’s latest viral food trends with videos on TikTok showing Londoners enjoying them from local Italian bakeries. The coffee shop’s version consists of a soft sourdough brioche infused with lemon and orange. The bun is then filled with a light sweetened cream and finished with a dusting of icing sugar.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Parcel, Pukka
Pukka looked to bring innovative, full-on flavour to the ‘typically functional’ savoury pastry category in 2024 with a trio of parcels inspired by iconic and spicy dishes from around the world. The jerk chicken variant is filled with seasoned Jerk chicken, sweet potato, and black turtle beans with a spicy sauce while the pastry is topped with a visual blast of habanero, star anise, turmeric, and allspice. The vibrant packaging also ensures standout on shelf and highlights Pukka’s determination to supercharge its growth in the retail market.
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