Purpose-driven baking box company Britain Loves Baking has launched its platinum jubilee baking box & kits collection, along with its street party baking kit that will bring communities together in celebration of the once-in-a-lifetime event.
The ingredients have been sourced in the UK and Commonwealth and include items such as Platinum sliver leaf from Canada, vanilla extract from Uganda and farm-grown yeast from Australia.
Inspired by the Queen’s love of Afternoon Tea, Britain Loves Baking has created the Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea Big Bake (5 June), which can be ordered for up to 1,000 people at a cost of just £7 per person.
“Nothing brings a community together more so than when a special Royal Jubilee is celebrated, and which brings friends and neighbours closer together during the festivities,” said Greg Wixted, founder of Britain Loves Baking.
“The Afternoon Tea Platinum Jubilee baking box has been created for bakers of all skills to join in and create amazing baked treats to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s historic 70-year reign.”
The baking box comes complete with a full baking schedule and event planner, along with all the bits and bobs to make Clarence House Chocolate Biscuit Cake, Mini Victoria Sponges with Strawberry Jam & Buttercream, Union Jack Cupcakes, The Jubilee Cupcakes, Traditional Fruit and Plain Scones & Jam, Union Jack Shortbreads and bread mix to create mini bread rolls for finger sandwiches.
There is also the Jubilee Macaron Baking Kit (£36) to prepare 45-50 macarons, always served at the Queen’s annual garden parties. Flavours include Lemon Posset Macaron, Summer Pudding and the Jubilee Macron (a blackberry shell, filled with Ugandan vanilla bean, white chocolate and blackberry ganache and topped with flecks of edible platinum sliver leaf.
The UK company has also thought of chocolate lovers, with three British dessert-inspired chocolate bar making kits (Eton Mess, Summer Pudding and Tropical Fruit Salad) to make 2x, 4x or 6x150g white chocolate bars.
Not finished yet – the No-Cook Jubilee Fudge Making Kit (in White Chocolate or Vanilla & Blackberry) is ideal to get the kids involved. (£16)
The hero of the collections is the Berry Mirror Glaze & Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, complete with its own platinum-coloured crown. This is a real showstopper (£30).
As with all Britian Loves Baking Products, everything is provided (bar fresh eggs or fruit), including cake board, piping bags and nozzles. Ingredients are pre-measured, meaning there’s no waste, hassle or hidden costs for ‘extra’ ingredients.
Available online and on partner websites such as Yumbles.com.
Share a bake: For every product sold, Britian Loves Baking donates a family bread-making kit to the Felix Project so 2.2m families who can't afford it don't have to go without a loaf of bread.
The call from a Team GB’s nutritionist to say Simply Seedz Porridge Pots were under consideration as an official food for the Winter Olympics will be a moment founder Cathryn Zielinkski will never forget.
“While we’ve always been positioned more as a discerning artisanal choice than a high-performance snack, everyone knows porridge’s unrivalled prowess as a high fibre, ‘slow release’ energy provider,” said Zielinksi.
“Simply Seedz stands out because it uses large Scottish rolled oats and a maximum of five real ingredients (no needless fillers or synthetic nasties).
“However, our biggest plus is our stubborn refusal to ever dabble with sugary milk powders (dairy free), which means our sugar footprint is negligible and athletes can make their own preferred milk choices; be that cow, oat, soy or nut.”
She added that 2021 was a fantastic year of growth for the Midlands, UK-based producer.
“Our traditional heartland has been online and independent coffee shops, cafes and delis, however export sales, thanks to our tie-up with the Department of International Trade has opened doors to North America, Europe and perhaps most excitingly the Middle East.”
Simply Seedz Porridge Pots are available in five variants – Apple & Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate & Ginger, Apricot & Cranberry, Date & Apricot and Plain – for an RRP of £1.99 (60g pots) and £5.25 (500g pouches).
pladis has added a new variant to its biscuit barrel favourite McVitie’s Club for the first time in over a decade.
Available in packs of 7 or 8 individually-wrapped bars, McVitie’s Club Salted Caramel consists of a golden-baked biscuit bar, layered with a salted caramel flavoured cream and coated in Club’s signature milk chocolate. It joins the brand’s established line-up of Club Mint and Club Orange.
According to pladis, the new flavour is expected to resonate with biscuit lovers looking for ‘swavoury’ flavour combinations.
“Over the past couple of years, sales of Chocolate Biscuit Bars have boomed (+11.5%) with more Brits rediscovering the pleasure of tucking into a sweet treat alongside a cuppa,” said David Titman, marketing director of McVitie’s at pladis UK&I.
“Our Club brand – which has been a chocolate biscuit bar favourite for over 100 years – played a huge part in driving this growth and remains one of the most popular choices for shoppers.
“The great news about McVitie’s Club is that it’s perfectly placed to span in-home and on-the-go snacking occasions. Each bar is individually wrapped, allowing for greater portion control and making it an easy grab-and-go treat.
“For longstanding fans of McVitie’s Club, we know this launch will cause a stir! In fact, a series of online discussion groups have already shown a spontaneous desire for innovation from the brand. Plus, wider research shows that more than half of snackers (53%) are prompted to purchase when they see new flavours in-store, so this addition is sure to ramp up excitement and interest around the brand.”
McVitie’s Club Salted Caramel is rolling out in major retailers, as well as across wholesale and convenience, including Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and discounters for an RRP of £1-£1.70. Packaging will be recyclable through pladis’ partnership with Terracycle.
Mother’s Day is around the corner, which means it’s time to think about showing her how much you care. Why not switch it up with a better-for-you, great sharing treat?
Popcorn Shed has created a number of formats to give as a gift, including a 400g tin packed with Caramel, Chocolate and Cookies & Cream popcorn, each packed in separate bags to ensure freshness and the best possible taste.
The UK family-owned producer has also developed its Popcorn & Kisses Gourmet Popcorn Letterbox Gift, which means no matter the distance, you can get your gift to your mum through the post.
The 220g box contains Salted Caramel, Pop 'N’ Choc and Say Cheese flavours – all of which are ridiculously addictive.
Other en vogue flavours in its extensive lineup include Goats Cheese with cracked black pepper, Blue Cheese, Berry-licious, Belgium chocolate, Butterly Nuts (with roasted peanut halves) and Cherry Bakewell, among others.
Available online and from Amazon, the Gift Tin has an RRP of £25, the Letterbox Gift an RRP of £12.50, and other variants from £4.
General Mills is rolling out a limited edition Lucky Charms Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mix. The cereal is available for a limited time at grocery retailers across the US with a suggested retail price of $2.50 for a mid-size box and $3.99 for a family-size box.
The cereal giant has also brought back a seasonal favourite – Reese’s Puffs Bunnies – that offers the same great taste of Reese’s Puffs in bunny-shapes. This cereal will begin to arrive on shelves in late February with a suggested retail price of $4.73.
Kellogg’s has launched a new variant of its much-loved ‘chocolatey’ cereal – Hazelnut Choc Flavour Coco Pops – rolling out in Asda and Iceland stores across the UK. The limited edition cereal will be available on shelf for one year only.
Kellogg’s experts spent more than a year at the Manchester-based factory perfecting the new taste, which combines cocoa with notes of hazelnut – and ensure it maintains its low sugar status, with 30% less sugar than its competitors.
In 2018, Kellogg’s reduced the sugar content in Original Coco Pops by 40%, following a reduction of 14% in 2017, meaning Coco Pops now has half the sugar it did five years ago. The original variety, as well as this new limited edition, are non-HFSS (high in fat salt sugar) cereals.
The Hazelnut Choc variant follows the launch of the limited edition Strawberry & White Choc Coco Pops last year, with shoppers buying over 4,000 boxes of the cereal every day in 2021.
“We are so excited to bring out a new limited edition Coco Pops flavour and we hope that kids and grown-ups alike enjoy it as much as we do,” said Sophie Daniels, brand manager at Kellogg’s.
“We know that our fans enjoy eating their Coco Pops with hazelnut milk-alternatives, so we’re hoping this new Hazelnut Choc flavour is a hit.’’
Kellogg’s Hazelnut Choc Flavour Coco Pops has an RRP of £3.00.
Self-coined ‘the superhero of cereals’, the Keto-friendly cereal is now available in childhood favourite flavours and forms.
The brand said while other Keto-friendly options may come in your favourite flavours, Incredi-Bowl actually provides a Keto-friendly cereal, perfect for those following the lifestyle, looking to cut carbs or just in search of a better-for-you way to start the day.
Incredi-Bowl cereals are also low in sugar, grain free and high in protein, available in:
- Chocolate Crunch – with 16g protein, 7g net carbs, 2g total sugars and 9g total fat.
- Frosted Flakes – containing 15g protein, 7g net carbs, 2g total sugars and 9g total fat.
- Honey Nut Loops – whole grain oats made with real honey, boasting 16g protein, 7g net carbs, 2g total sugars and 8g total fat per serving.
“With the rise in popularity of the Keto diet and Keto-friendly lifestyles, it’s time to rethink how we eat breakfast,” said Stephen Spaulding, marketing director, Incredi-Bowl.
“As a result, the grain free ready-to-eat cereal category has grown exponentially the last three years. What we found when testing other grain free, Keto-friendly options is that they all came in traditional flavours, but only one form, which is one of the best parts of the cereal eating experience,
“We’re excited to be the first to introduce three flavours and familiar forms backed by delicious taste and smart nutrition.”
Incredi-Bowl is available through its D2C website, in addition to grocery stores and eommerce retailers across the US.
