The 105 g products are individually wrapped and supplied frozen in cases of eight with a seven day shelf-life after defrosting.
70th anniversary
Bells of Lazonby is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and the muffins are made at its bakery in Cumbria, UK.
Emily Sudell, marketing executive, Bells of Lazonby, told BakeryandSnacks that, according to the latest market research, almost three-quarters of people would eat out every fortnight if gluten-free options were available (Coeliac UK).
One in five people now suffer from lactose intolerance (Allergy UK) and 72% of those say manufacturers need to cater more for the problem (Toluna/Almondy Research April 2016).
“We are delighted to accelerate our new product development (NPD) programme with the launch of these two muffins,” said Sudell.
“The number of people actively seeking free-from products is at record levels, either as a dietary or lifestyle choice.”
Dairy-free options
She added the ‘We Love Cake’ range is a simple way of incorporating gluten, wheat and dairy-free options that do not compromise on taste and quality.
As part of the company’s NPD programme, the team monitors and tracks trends in the marketplace with ‘away-days’ to cities across the UK to see what expert bakers have been getting up to for inspiration.
It also follows food writers, the latest books and magazines for ideas and regularly attend Farmers Markets to keep up to date with the trends and to predict what will be the next big thing.
Past NPD launches include sliced loaf cakes and round cakes; eye-catching toppings; smaller bite size treats and all-butter pastry tarts or free-from tarts that are gluten-, wheat- and dairy-free.