Paul Hollywood ready to bake Rustic Rolls

Paul Hollywood is set to roll out a threesome of ‘rustic’ ready-to-bake breads

As TV viewers look forward to the Great British Bake Off’s Channel 4 debut in the summer, the show’s original two judges are ramping up their grocery offerings.

Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are both launching NPD this spring, with the prolific cakes writer adding a sub-range of salad dressing, and the Liverpudlian baker doubling his lineup of part-baked bread.

Mary Berry Mango Lime & Chilli dressing

Berry’s new dressings are aimed at attracting younger shoppers

Landing on shelf from next month, Berry’s new fruit-based dressings are aimed at attracting younger shoppers to the condiments range with which she began her fmcg career in 1994.

The latest trio comprises Mango, Lime & Chilli; Carrot, Orange & Ginger; and Pomegranate variants – created to tap consumer demand for sharper and spicier flavours (rsp: £2.99/235ml).

The three premium products join seven others in a dressings range that has added 15% in value sales to £2.68m [IRI 52 w/e 25 March 2017]. Brand owner RH Amar credited the growth to a 2016 increase in promotional activity including the Home of Good Taste Tour of UK food festivals. It had seen Mary Berry become “the only major brand driving growth in the market”.

Berry will not appear in C4’s Bake Off, but it will star Hollywood, who is to roll out a threesome of ‘rustic’ ready-to-bake breads into a category dominated by own label. The NPD was aimed at changing the profile of the market, said Paul Baker, director of maker Carrs Foods, who expected retail value sales for the Paul Hollywood brand to grow 50% by the end of 2016, from £4m to £6m.

Rustic Rolls, Rustic Baguette (rsp: £1.50) and Rustic Loaf (rsp: £1.80) will be available in Tesco from 30 May, with the rolls also listed in Waitrose. Made with only a “small proportion” of sourdough starter for “broader appeal”, the products were intended to provide the “sensory positives” of freshly baked bread.

Hollywood’s made his debut in the ready-to-bake category in 2015 with three lines – and had since “reinvigorated” the category, according to Baker. “Consumers love the range because they feel the products are restaurant quality.