Traditional Christmas bakery remains firmly in demand, with new British Bakels consumer research showing shoppers are still drawn to the products and flavours they know and associate with the season.
In a study conducted by British Bakels, respondents were asked to name Christmas products and flavours they were looking forward to year. Mince pies alone were mentioned by 35%, festive spice was the most popular flavour grouping, cited by 41% of respondents.
Dan Jones, marketing manager at British Bakels, said: “Christmas is an occasion where familiarity really matters. From our work with bakers and what consumers are telling us, we know people still want the products and flavours they know and love, but that does not mean bakers cannot be creative.
“The opportunity is to build on those favourites through richer flavour combinations, added texture and distinctive finishes, rather than reinventing the Christmas range completely.”
British Bakels has identified five key opportunities for bakers this Christmas:
- Back the classics
Traditional formats remain an important part of the Christmas range. The opportunity is to make them feel more special through flavour, filling and finish, rather than replacing the products consumers already look forward to.
- Make familiar flavours work harder
Warming spice, chocolate, fruit and caramel remain strong seasonal cues. British Bakels’ research found fruit mentioned by 27% of respondents, chocolate by 25% and caramel, toffee or fudge by 13%.
For bakers, the opportunity is to combine these familiar flavours in more indulgent ways and use them across different formats. Chocolate and cherry can create rich Black Forest-inspired profiles, while caramel can be paired with warming spice or used as a filling to add indulgence. British Bakels’ Dark Cherry Fruit Filling and Creamy Injectable Caramel can support both approaches.
- Use texture and finish to create a point of difference
Texture and appearance can provide an easy route to differentiation without changing the core bake. Speculoos Crumb can bring warming spice and added texture, while Ready-to-Use Mallow can be used to create distinctive toppings and finishes across a range of sweet bakery applications.
- Don’t overlook smaller formats
Christmas is not only about centrepieces. Some 19% of respondents mentioned smaller formats including cookies, brownies, cupcakes and muffins, highlighting an opportunity for individual and snackable festive treats.
Fudgy Brownie Mix and Chocolate Mud Cake Mix can provide versatile bases for seasonal formats across different sizes and occasions.
- Keep production simple when demand peaks
Christmas ranges need to deliver variety without creating unnecessary production complexity. Versatile mixes and ready-to-use components can help bakers streamline preparation, maintain consistency and create several seasonal variants from a manageable number of core products.
Multimix Cake Base can support a range of festive cake applications, while Chocolate Mud Cake Mix and Fudgy Brownie Mix provide consistent bases that can be adapted through different fillings, toppings and finishes.
Dan added: “The strongest Christmas ranges do not have to be the most complicated. Starting with versatile bases and adding variation through flavour, texture and finish can help bakers deliver the familiarity consumers want while keeping production practical.”
British Bakels’ technical team works with customers on festive product development and production requirements, helping to create solutions suited to individual operations.
For more information on British Bakels’ bakery solutions, product range and recipe inspiration for seasonal applications, visit www.britishbakels.co.uk
