The public appetite for high end baked goods continues with Dominque Ansel’s first London outlet witnessing large queues on its opening day in upmarket Belgravia in September. Just three years after the launch of Ansel’s iconic cronut reported at the time in this Food Alert, the first “hybrid” pastry confection styled as a cross between a doughnut and a croissant which generated near hysteria at the time, has officially arrived this side of the Atlantic. About one-third of the bakery’s menu is exclusive to the inaugural London site, with new creations including a Liquid Caramel Peanut Butter Mousse Cake and the Paris-London, a choux pastry filled with Earl Grey mousse, full details here.
Sainsbury’s has also announced that it is overhauling its bakery range to capitalise on the growing demand for patisserie products. As part of the review, Sainsbury’s is introducing 20 new lines and a further 40 improved products, including fondant fancies, madeleines, and macaroons. The range will also include loaf cakes which have featured heavily in the most recent season of the Great British Bake Off.
Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer has decided to anglicise the croissant by turning it into a loaf. M&S has created a sliceable version of the traditional French pastry for Britons who like the taste of croissants but also want the convenience of a slice of toast for breakfast. Marks & Spencer has described its new bakery hybrid — dubbed the “croloaf” — as the perfect fusion of the French and British breakfast, read more here.
New Mintel figures on the cake market show that premiumisation continues to be an ongoing trend as the growth in cake sales in the UK reached its highest rate in 2015 at 2.5%. The appeal of exciting, creative, fun cakes is enduring – a trend also identified in Bord Bia’s 2015 consumer study on the Cakes and Pastries category. Ultimately, consumers are largely unwilling to cut treats from their diets due to the perception that – in moderation – they are an acceptable part of a balanced diet.
Orla Donohoe, Food & Beverage Division, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
For more info contact orla.donohoe@bordbia.ie