Warburtons launches gluten-free crumpet

13-Jan-2017 - Last updated on 13-Jan-2017 at 12:08 GMT

Warburtons has launched a new gluten-free crumpet into a growing free-from market

Bakery manufacturer Warburtons has launched a new gluten-free crumpet, following calls from its customers to produce more free-from products.

Produced by Warburtons’ Newburn Bakehouse, its dedicated gluten-free bakery in Newcastle, the new crumpet range is to target the growing free-from bakery sector.

Mintel research found that 12% of new food products launched in the UK in 2015 carried a gluten-free claim, up from 7% in 2011.

About 1% of people in Britain suffer from coeliac disease – an allergy to gluten. In addition, YouGov research found 13% of people chose to cut gluten from their diets.

Free-from director at Newburn Bakehouse said: “We’ve seen the demand for good quality free-from bakery items grow massively over the last few years.

“At Warburtons, we’re well known for our crumpets, so we set the bar high for our Newburn Bakehouse gluten-free crumpets. We’ve put all of our baking experience and knowledge into making delicious crumpets that our free-from customers can enjoy.”

‘Set the bar high’

Newburn Bakehouse crumpets by Warburtons are gluten-, wheat- and milk-free. They join Newburn’s existing range of gluten-free products, including: farmhouse loaves, wraps and sandwich thins.

Warburtons’ head baker Dave Mulvey said he was excited to launch the product after 18 months of development.

“After many days and weeks spent perfecting the product, we believe we’ve achieved a gluten-free crumpet that lives up to the Warburtons name,” added Mulvey.

The free-from market is worth about £627M and is set to reach £952M by 2021, according to Mintel. Free-from food was bought and/or eaten by 31% of UK adults in the six months to September 2016.

Planning application

Meanwhile, Warburtons has submitted a planning application for a new research and development centre in Bolton.

The centre would be an addition to the company’s existing headquarters and bakery at Hereford Street, Bolton. See an artist’s impression of the site below.

Warburtons said the R&D centre would focus on the testing and production of new bakery products and include quality control laboratories and dry stores.

The two-story building is to have 2278m²of floor space and would be a standalone structure, separate from Warburtons’ HQ.

The plans are currently under review by the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.