Cooplands Bakery have been awarded a highly prized 2-star Great Taste Award for their Large Traditional Pork Pie. Great Taste is the world’s largest food and drink accreditation scheme based entirely on taste.

The award marks a celebration for Cooplands, who strive to offer great quality and handmade products for all customers. The judges at Great Taste were wowed by The Pork Pie and described it as “a very impressive, handsome pie” the judges couldn’t resist it, “the pastry is beautifully cooked, and is flavoursome, firm yet crumbly. The meat is juicy, moist, succulent and melts in the mouth”. The team of judges said, “It ticked all the boxes for us.”

Cooplands Bakery started life as a pork pie butcher, and they continue to make these pies by hand with a traditional recipe that has been unchanged for over 20 years.

John Ruddock, Bakery Manager at Cooplands Bakery said “We are thrilled to have received a 2-star Great Taste Award for our Traditional Pork Pie. The Great Taste Award is an acknowledgement to our talented team of bakers who have been hand crafting our pies for 2 decades. We are proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge to such a fantastic product.”

The award winning Cooplands Pork Pie will be available in October for customers to pre-order in preparation of the party season. Customers will be able to order them online via their website www.cooplands-bakery.co.uk or can pop to their local shop to place an order.

Cooplands Bakery have launched a Limited Edition “Bis-kini” shortbread biscuit, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Cooplands, a proprietary brand of EG Group is currently partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support as their chosen charity for this quarter, and all money raised will go towards supporting people living with cancer.

One in two people in the UK will get cancer. Macmillan is a lifeline when cancer hits and are there to help people with cancer live life as fully as they can, by providing physical, financial, and emotional support across the UK.

Cooplands Bakery launch the Bis-kini on 27^th July, with the product available for purchase throughout August. 25p from the sale of each biscuit will go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Caroline Jones, Customer & Marketing Director at Cooplands said:

“We are pleased to be able to support such an important charity and to be able to help them help others. By partnering with Macmillan Cancer Support, our aim is to raise awareness of the vital support Macmillan provide to those living with cancer.”

Anne Eaglesfield, Head of Corporate Business Development at Macmillan Cancer Support said:

“Cooplands Bakery has been such a great supporter and we are thrilled that they have chosen to support Macmillan through the sale of their biscuit. Macmillan’s support for people living with cancer is in more demand than ever and we rely almost entirely on public donations to make a difference, this is why Cooplands support is so important to us.

We know how cancer can affect every aspect of life, and we’re here to help everyone with cancer live life as fully as they can, but we can’t do it without our amazing fundraisers. We are excited to have partnered with Cooplands and each sale means that we can continue to do whatever it takes for people living with cancer.’

Cooplands Bakery and their parent company EG Group have partnered with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, a charity set up by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, to make allergy history by pioneering medical research through the prevention and eradication of allergic disease to create a world that is safe for all individuals.

Up to 3 million people in the UK have a food allergy, with cow’s milk being the most common and fatal food allergy in children in the country. To help raise awareness, Cooplands undertook the challenge of removing milk from one of their most loved products, the Gingerbread Teddy Biscuit. The dairy free product will go on sale for four weeks throughout June and July, where a portion of sales will go towards advancing medical research.

To ensure the product is dairy free, not only are the ingredients changed but all equipment and product batches are thoroughly cleaned and tested to ensure there is no risk of contamination. This required many months of trialling, but the team at Cooplands didn’t give up until they found the perfect combination that does not compromise on taste.

Earlier this month, the Cooplands team welcomed Tanya and Nadim for a tour of the bakery and were presented with information about the work of Natasha’s Foundation and the rise of food allergies in the UK. The Natasha Trial, which is funded by The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, focuses on children and young people with cow’s milk and peanut allergies between the ages of 2 and 23 years old. It is a 3-year oral immunotherapy trial that aims to show that everyday foods, when taken carefully under medical supervision, can be used by children – and adults – with food allergies to live safer, more fulfilling, and inclusive lives, marking a critical step on Natasha’s Foundation’s journey to making allergy history.

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, Co-founder of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation said:

“Who doesn’t love a good biscuit? The team at Natasha’s Foundation certainly do, which is why we’re thrilled that Cooplands have created a dairy-free gingerbread biscuit, helping raise awareness of the rise of food allergies in the UK.

Cooplands support means we can continue to fund pioneering medical research to directly and positively impact as many people as possible who live with food allergies. We aim to prove that with medical support, everyday foods rather than expensive pharmaceutical drugs can help children, and adults, lead safer and more fulfilled and inclusive lives. Every gingerbread sale brings us one step closer to delivering our mission to #MakeAllergyHistory and better the lives of up to 3 million people in the UK living with food allergies

“We aim to bring a product to customers with a dairy allergy and also raise awareness with our colleagues to help them understand allergies more clearly.” Said Peter Graham, Compliance Manager at Cooplands.

As sunny days, trips the beach and picnics beckon, Cooplands launch a new Summer range, including the return of a firm favourite the JUMBO Jammy Biscuit! The range launches from 5^th June and will be available in all shops.

Customers will say hola to a delicious new limited-edition Chicken Fajita Pasty for £1.90, using their traditional flaky pastry, filled with tender chicken pieces, mixed with peppers in a spicy fajita sauce.

Also launching is a new limited-edition sandwich perfect for summer, The Chicken Caesar Sub. A twist on the well-known Caesar salad, the sub is filled with roast chicken and mixed with a Caesar mayonnaise and lettuce leaves on Cooplands freshly baked sub rolls. It’s also included in the Meal Deal for only £4.

A classic summer delight, Cooplands launch two new sundae pots. The Chocolate Brownie Sundae Pot is filled with layers of moreish chunks of chocolate brownie, mixed with chocolate custard and hand finished with whipped cream. The Strawberry Trifle Pot has chunks of ginger sponge, mixed with strawberries, strawberry jelly and custard, then topped with whipped cream. This indulgent treat is only £2.

Cooplands will also be launching and returning the following products;

Savoury:

• Chicken Caesar Salad Sub Roll, £3.20, launches 21^st
• The return of the Chicken Mayo Sub Roll, £3.20, launches 21^st
• Cheese Ploughman’s Sub Roll, £2.60, launches 21^st
• Chicken Fajita Pasty, £1.90, launches 5^th

Sweet

• Chocolate Brownie Sundae Pot, £2.00, launches 5^th
• Strawberry Trifle Pot, £2.00, launches 5^th
• Summer Biscuits 3 for £3, launches 6^th
• Kids buns (cow & mouse), £1.30, launches 6^th
• Lemon Muffin, £1.35, launches 13^th
• Jumbo Jammy Biscuit, £1.35, launches 4^th
• Banoffee Tart, £1.70, launches 5^th
• Bakewell Mini Bites, £2.50, launches 6^th
• Strawberry Tart, £1.70, launches 5^th
• Summer Fruit Tart, £1.70, launches 5^th
• Vegan Devonshire Split, £1.70, launches 5^th

“We’re excited to launch some new products to our summer range this year,” said Sara McInnes, Head of Commercial. “We’re also thrilled to be bringing back some solid favourites to make your summer a little tastier!”