A bakery has become the first in the UK to launch insect bread, made with hundreds of crickets that have been ground into flour.
The batch of limited-edition Crunchy Cricket Loaves has been whipped up in The Exploratory – Roberts’ concept kitchen
The bread is made using cricket flour, which is supplied by Eat Grub – the UK’s leading insect food brand – and sourced from the world’s only farm with Grade A BRC food safety certification.
Each loaf contains around 336 crickets, which are dried, ground, mixed with wheat flour and grains and then baked to become a tremendously tasty loaf with a crunchy finish.
Roberts’ Crunchy Cricket Loaf contains more protein than standard bread and is also a more sustainable source of it.
A recent study shows that crickets have antioxidant power five times higher than fresh orange juice.
They are also said to be good for the gut, to the high levels of chitinous fibre found in their exoskeleton. This helps to increase levels of a metabolic enzyme associated with gut health.
‘As well as having very strong sustainability and environmental credentials, insects are also seriously tasty and shouldn’t be overlooked as a great recipe ingredient,’ says Alison Ordonez, Head of Innovation at the bakery firm.
‘Our Cricket Loaf provides consumers with a good source of protein and an easy way to familiarise themselves with insect-based food.
‘We’re passionate about boosting growth in the bread category with relevant, sustainable and interesting bakes. The first-in-the-UK Roberts Cricket Loaf is yet another example of this.’
Insect eating, or entomophagy, is common in much of the world. The UN estimated last year that at least two billion people eat insects – and more than 1,900 species are used for food.
They’re also a popular choice among those who want to protect the environment, because farming insects uses less land, water and feed than conventional livestock farming.
Roberts’ first batch of Crunchy Cricket Loaf is limited to 100 loaves, and ten of these are up for grabs for lucky competition winners.
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on one, visit @RobertsBakeryUK on Facebook from 28 November to 5 December. The 10 winners will be announced later that day.
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