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Pastries such as brioche and pain au chocolat are growing at a faster pace than traditional baked goods as Britain’s breakfast of choice.
According to new research from Mintel, brioche sales rose by 25% last year, from £31m in 2010 to £38m, and sales of pain au chocolat were up 14% from £22m to £25m.
Today, French pastries are consumed by 23% of all Brits, against 24% of those who eat more traditional bread and baked goods.
While a slice of toast remains the nation’s favourite breakfast, eaten by 81% of consumers, many of the more traditional bread and baked goods have posted slower growth. Hot cross buns, for example, have seen only modest growth of 7% and the market for English muffins has declined by 3%.
The only exception to this trend is scones, sales of which rose by 19% over 2010.
Just as there has been a huge boost in demand for French pastries, bagels too have registered an outstanding performance, with a spectacular 48% growth since 2010, says Mintel. Overall sales of speciality breads such as bagels, wraps, naans, pittas, baguettes, chapattis and paninis, increased by 8% between 2010 and 2011.
Said Mintel’s senior food analyst, Alex Beckett: “Bread is a quintessential household staple food, eaten by the overwhelming majority of British consumers in the UK last year. However, annual sales partly reflect a slight decline in the share of adults who eat bread daily.
“Consumers are livening up their food regimes and giving themselves an affordable treat by switching to more diverse types of baked goods.”
