Cornish craft bakery WC Rowe has sealed a deal to supply Tesco stores nationwide with scones under the Tesco Finest brand.

WC Rowe, whose MD Alan Pearce is the BIA09 Baker of the Year (see pg 4), already supplies Tesco stores in the south-west region with own-brand baked goods, but this is the first time the bakery has secured a national contract with the multiple.

The recipe for the new scones, available in sultana and cheese flavours, is formulated so that they naturally break into two halves. The sultana scones are available in 650 stores nationwide and retail at £1.39 per pack, while the cheese scones are available in 400 stores and retail at £1.49.

"The Tesco Finest scones represent an entirely new venture for us in terms of having a national distribution," said Paul Pearce, director of marketing at Rowe’s. "We use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, coupled with traditional craft baking techniques."

Tesco marketing manager Jo Wren added: "It’s great for us to be able to bring local suppliers like this into national tenders."

WC Rowe has 17 outlets and supplies products to retailers throughout the UK.