Lidl is to introduce the Silvercrest Bread Maker to its UK stores from today (Thursday 4 August 2016), despite the fact that the retailer has an in-store bakery in each of its outlets.

The machine - priced at £39.99 - is the latest in a line of budget kitchen appliances the discount supermarket has launched this summer and offers 11 programmes to choose from, including dough, pasta, cakes, jam and gluten-free bread, as well as brown and white loaves.

Communications officer for Lidl UK, Sophie Lambert-Russell, told British Baker: “We’ve sold several breadmakers in the past and this is very similar to the one we sold last year.”

She added: “They always do really well with our customer, hence why we’re offering it again.”

However, critics have questioned why the supermarket needs to offer the new kitchen gadget when it prides itself on its in-store bakery.

“Our in-store bakery offers much more than bread - cakes, pastries and so on - as well as breads you can’t do in the bread maker - baguettes and small rolls, for example,” said Lambert-Russell.

In July, Lidl announced that bakery would be at the heart of a new Lidl of the Future supermarket that is due to open in Oban, Scotland, in September.