Warburtons Blackpool Milk Roll

...“round bread” was this one, Warburtons Blackpool Milk Roll which I think has now dropped the “Blackpool” in its name. I’m not sure why this became my loaf of choice – perhaps it was the fact that it was “local” for me, or maybe it was the novel shape – but loaf of choice it did become, and for many years it was the only brand I ate.

The loaves of this bread are shaped like barrels ...
...many ways from the other Warburtons loaves, this one does have one thing in common with them – it tastes of quality. The bread is soft and delicious, and opening the packed releases a just-baked aroma into the room. I detest cheap value loaves with which you realise exactly why they only cost 7p a loaf the second you bite in, but this is not like these in the slightest. The bread can be frozen, but I usually prefer to eat it in the first few ... more

When I lived at home and had to make a shopping list for the coming week, brand names didn’t usually appear. I’d write “Cornflakes” and it went without saying that I meant Kellogg’s. Peanut butter meant Sunpat, and Coke meant proper Coca Cola, not that horrible rip off cheap stuff. With bread, the only thing I needed to specify was the shape – round or square. What we called “round bread” was this one, Warburtons Blackpool Milk Roll which I think has now dropped the “Blackpool” in its name. I’m not sure why this became my loaf of choice – perhaps it was the fact that it was “local” for me, or maybe it was the novel shape – but loaf of choice it did become, and for many years it was the only brand I ate.

The loaves of this bread are shaped like barrels rather than the usual cuboids – that’s how you get the round slices. Each one is fairly thinly cut – around the same thickness of a normal medium load – and flimsy. While most loaves’ slices could be propped up against a pot of jam, trying this with one of these makes the slice collapse and fold in on itself. Because of this, the bread is best suited for thin-filling sandwiches – butter or jam or nutella or any other spread all work fine, but filling them with, say, salad and thick slices of meat and cheese can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. The width of the slices is less than the width of square bread, so they can fit in toasters. However, I’d not recommend this because due to the floppy-ness of the bread they’re prone to bending here and there in the heat and eventually getting stuck. Grilling works perfectly well, but you need to keep and eye on the bread because it doesn’t have quite the same consistency of “normal” varieties, and will burn quicker. The only exception is the crusts which are usually really thick and juicy. If I had it my way they’d sell loaves which were just crusts as they really are my favourite part as long as they’re served as they come – not frozen and defrosted, and certainly not toasted. Cold, fresh lightly buttered round crusts. I’m drooling at the thought. Something that does occasionally happen with the Milk Roll loaf, and indeed with most other breads, is that the cutting machine goes a bit wrong and one crust pays the price – it comes out ultra thin, and with holes in, and the next slice in is then a crust/non-crust half breed with a normal outer but the remaining middle section of the crust tacked to its back. This seems to happen a fraction more frequently with round bread compared to square types, but it is still a very rare occurrence, thankfully.

The taste is also slightly different. It’s a loaf with more milk than normal in which is good for you health-wise because it means it’s full of calcium. But, it also gives it a sweeter taste than some others, which may seem strange at first. For me of course it was the other way round, and I found square bread odd when I switched to it, because I was so used to the round stuff. Though different in many ways from the other Warburtons loaves, this one does have one thing in common with them – it tastes of quality. The bread is soft and delicious, and opening the packed releases a just-baked aroma into the room. I detest cheap value loaves with which you realise exactly why they only cost 7p a loaf the second you bite in, but this is not like these in the slightest. The bread can be frozen, but I usually prefer to eat it in the first few days after it has been bought. This is to do with the size and style of the slices again – they get “iced up” quicker than other loaves, and this does affect the taste once you’ve defrosted it.

The loaf still comes wrapped in a plastic bag style affair despite some changes to other Warburtons packaging in recent years and the introduction of waxed paper designs for added freshness. The sticky seal that comes with the bag is fine for keeping the loaves fresh in the store, but once opened you really need to use a proper tie or elastic band to keep it nice.

Warburtons Milk Roll is an acquired taste, and the differing slice sizes and thicknesses take some getting used to, but children usually adore this stuff due to the sweeter taste and the fun value of the shape, and it’s an easy way to get them eating bread if they don’t normally care for it. It’s how I started, and I’m now a complete bread-a-holic. If you eat mass-produced bread and have a grill you might like it, but for those who prefer their breadmaker’s creations, or are die-hard toaster-users, this probably isn’t something you’ll be wanting to try.

The 400g loaves cost 56p from Tesco.com, about the same price of other branded loaves. A wholemeal variety is available too, and in the past they’ve also had limited edition healthy eating / low fat loaves produced in this shape. The bread can be bought in all major supermarkets and many smaller grocery shops.

www.warburtons.co.uk for info on this and the other products they make.
 

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