A selection of UK bakeries has been living it large in recent years by tapping into the growing trend for gigantic goods.
Things really started taking off in a big way on social media in the summer of 2023 when Philippe Conticini UK unveiled the XXL Croissant (rsp: £25) at its shops in London.
The high-end café brand – also an early purveyor in Britain last year of the viral crookie – has continued to enjoy success with its prodigious pastries, adding an XXL Pain au Chocolat (£28) in May 2024. More recently, it unveiled an XXL Dubai Chocolate Style Bar (£29) weighing in at a whopping 4kg.
Other businesses offering supersized lines include Cheran’s Bakery in Sittingbourne with Giant Cake Slices (£19.50), Cake Tin Bakery in Blackpool with Giant Brookies (£16), and Chulo’s Stuffed Cookies in Edinburgh with Giant Stuffed Cookies (£45).
Supermarkets are also keen to jump on the behemothic bakery bandwagon. Both Morrisons and Asda unveiled themed giant cookies for seasonal celebrations like Valentine’s Day and Easter this year, with the latter more recently launching a Caramelised Biscuit Cake (£10.98) that looks just like a biscuit. Asda also commissioned a massive version of its all-butter croissant to celebrate the introduction of a new single serve pastry and cake fixture at 109 of its stores last month.
M&S, meanwhile, has been selling a 2kg Colin the Caterpillar Cake (£50) via its website, which serves 40 and comes with a personalised message on a chocolate leaf decoration.
We checked in on three retail brands to discover more about the development journeys of their own oversized bakery products.
Arapina Bakery
The London-based firm started selling a giant vegan croissant (£25, serves eight) at its shop in January 2024, with it proving popular enough to be added to the website a few months later for home delivery orders.
Crete native Michaela Pontiki founded the plant-based bakery business in 2016, with a production site in Deptford supplying its Greenwich outlet and market stalls across the capital. She revealed how the colossal croissant had been created “with a view to tell a new story, one that’s shared collectively”.
Pontiki noted how the item has become “a symbol of celebration, something memorable that unites a crowd in awe and appetite”. She added that it was also great fun to watch how people interact with it – “Some carry it almost like a baby”.
There are no particular challenges in production, confirmed the founder, whilst reminding that the extended proving and baking times mean orders need to be received at least 24 hours in advance.
Coughlans Bakery
The Southeast England chain also embraced the humourous side of humongous bakery creations. In fact, its Giant Almond Croissant (also £25 each) originated from an April Fool’s joke that you could say got well out of hand.
In years past, the company – which currently operates an estate of 31 shops across South London, Surrey, Kent, and West Sussex – had produced giant versions of the likes of yum yums, doughnuts, and caramel shortbread for special birthday requests. It once made a 15-foot-tall gingerbread man to display at a Croydon food festival.
Managing director Sean Coughlan recalled how he’d posted a video on 1 April to their socials about adjusting the size of their almond croissants, which showed him picking up and eating one that was around ten times larger than a standard sample. “I sort of kept it completely deadpan, just to see if anybody would sort of go along with it as a joke,” he told British Baker. “I got inundated with people saying ‘Can I order one of those?’”
The company then officially launched its new croissant over the Easter bank holiday weekend, during which time it became its fourth bestselling line thanks to families purchasing it as a sharable treat. Wary of food waste, Coughlans has subsequently pared back production to have it stocked only at weekends at its biggest shops while making it available pre-order for collection the next day.
On the production side, Coughlan asserted that extra care was needed to avoid splitting the giant croissant when shaping it.
Amy’s Bakehouse
Giant Cookies were first rolled out in March 2023, two years after Amy Leigh founded her business with brother Nicholas in St Albans. “We wanted to offer something playful and indulgent that felt like a proper celebration,” commented Leigh, who added that it tapped into childhood nostalgia whilst allowing for personalisation.
The £25 cookie – which can be order with a choice of milk, white, dark or mixed chocolate chunks plus a bespoke message of up to five words – is now one of the top three most ordered items at Amy’s, competing with classic cupcakes and celebration cakes. “We’ve seen particular spikes around Valentine’s Day and during exam season when people want to send edible ‘Well Done’ gifts,” reported the co-founder.
Leigh said that creating the perfect giant cookie was all about balance, making sure they’re crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the centre, and beautifully decorated every time. “We’ve refined our recipe and baking process to ensure each one meets our quality standards and arrives in perfect condition,” she added. “It’s a labour of love, but totally worth it for the end result.”
In listening to what its customer are craving, Amy’s Bakehouse is currently trialling new supersized versions of cupcakes and layered brownie slabs. The business is also getting bigger itself this summer, expanding into the unit next door at Park Industrial Estate in Frogmore. The move sees it increase capacity with triple the production space featuring a new dedicated decorating and packaging area.
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