Lantmännen Unibake has been working with well-known chef Raymond Blanc, who has endorsed its bake-off range of all-butter Bakehouse brand Viennoiserie products for the trade market.

Lantmännen’s NPD team recently held an innovation workshop with Blanc and his team, at which they worked together to develop new ideas for the bake-off market.

According to Lantmännen, Viennoiserie is currently one of the strongest performing segments within sweet in-store bakery. Retail sales have grown 9.4% year-on-year, and the sector is worth more than £76.3m.

The bakery manufacturer said the collaboration and endorsement also provided the opportunity for the company to draw inspiration from Blanc’s expert knowledge of French bakery.

Peter Drew, product director, at Lantmännen Unibake, said: “We are very excited to be working with Raymond Blanc and this gives our development team the opportunity to gain additional inspiration and share ideas that can guide the creation of our next generation of Viennoiserie for both the retail and foodservice arenas.”

The bake-off range endorsed by Raymond Blanc comprises all-butter croissants, pains au chocolat, pains au raisin, chocolate croissants and almond croissants.