A croissant can be a tasty addition to a school-holiday lunch, but it won’t necessarily make a complete lunch on its own. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre also recommends foods from the Dutch Wheel of Five for children, such as wholegrain products, vegetables or fruit. Then choose a size and preparation method that suit the number of people you’re feeding and your plans, and check the label on the exact product if anyone has dietary requirements.
A croissant can be a little something extra during the school holidays. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre also recommends that children have a lunch that includes wholegrain products, vegetables or fruit, and a suitable filling.
If you avoid gluten, follow a plant-based diet or have an allergy, the information on the exact packaging matters. A plant-based croissant isn’t automatically gluten-free, and a gluten-free version may contain other allergens.
The number of croissants, their size and how they’re prepared all affect how practical they are. Albert Heijn and Jumbo, for example, offer different sizes, bake-at-home products and frozen options.
First decide what role the croissants will play in your lunch, then choose the size and preparation method. If by ‘medium sliced’ you mean a particular portion size or a pre-sliced product, check the specific packaging: Albert Heijn and Jumbo distinguish between croissants by size and product type, among other things.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Most relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Putting the lunch together | Decide what you’ll serve alongside the croissants. For a child’s lunch, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholegrain products, vegetables or fruit, among other things. | If a croissant is an extra, I also want to know what else will be in the lunch. For an estimated 36% of consumers, this is the main consideration. |
| Allergens and dietary requirements | Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact packaging; don’t assess a plant-based or gluten-free label separately from the rest of the information. | If someone at the table needs to avoid certain ingredients, I need clear information about the product I choose. This is the first concern for around 29% of consumers. |
| Portions and preparation | Compare the number of croissants and the weight, and read the preparation and storage instructions for bake-at-home or frozen croissants. | I want to have enough croissants ready on time for several people, without choosing a preparation method that doesn’t suit me. An estimated 21% of consumers give this priority. |
| How to buy | Check whether you can buy your chosen product in the way you prefer; Lidl, for example, lists the butter croissant it reviewed as available in store only. | If I’ve already planned the lunch, I need to know whether I can get the croissants I’ve chosen in the way I want. This matters most to around 14% of consumers. |
A croissant on its own doesn’t provide the variety the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends for a child’s lunch.
Plan other parts of the lunch too, such as a wholegrain product and some vegetables or fruit.
According to Jumbo, its plant-based croissant contains wheat. The gluten-free croissants reviewed from Schär and Consenza, in turn, contain egg and milk.
For any dietary requirement, check the current ingredients and allergen information for the exact product.
Chilled dough and frozen croissants need different preparation. Jumbo says its frozen-fresh croissants must not be refrozen after thawing.
Check in advance that the instructions fit the time and storage space you have available.
If you can’t prepare or eat everything within the stated time, you may end up with food you have to throw away.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, using baker’s salt when baking isn’t compulsory. So you can’t tell whether a product contains iodised salt from its category alone.
Check the ingredients list if iodised salt is important to your choice.
Albert Heijn’s croissant range includes fresh, bake-at-home and frozen options.
Jumbo offers croissants in different sizes and formats, including plant-based and frozen options.
Danerolles offers chilled croissant dough in several varieties for baking at home.
The Schär Croissant à la Française reviewed is a gluten-free frozen option.
The Consenza pack reviewed contains three gluten-free croissants weighing 60 g each.
These croissants come in different pack sizes for lunches where a croissant is an extra. Check the preparation method and label for each option before planning your lunch.
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A pack of four for anyone who’d like to serve croissants with lunch. Check the preparation instructions and current label if timing or allergens are important.
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An 85 g croissant for anyone looking for a single portion. If you’re planning lunch for children, note the product warning about E102 and E110 and their possible adverse effects on activity and attention; check the current allergen information too.
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The mini size could be a good fit if you’d like to serve smaller croissants with lunch. The pack weighs 200 g; check the number of croissants, preparation method and allergens on the current packaging.
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Four croissants with a total pack weight of 180 g, making it easier to plan portions for several people. Read the preparation method and check the current label before choosing them for lunch.
Not necessarily. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends foods from the Dutch Wheel of Five for a child’s lunch too; alongside a croissant, for example, plan a wholegrain product and some vegetables or fruit.
No, the labels mean different things. According to Jumbo, its plant-based croissant contains wheat; if you need to avoid gluten, check the label and allergen information on the exact packaging.
Not automatically. According to Jumbo, the gluten-free croissants reviewed from Schär and Consenza contain egg and milk; the Consenza option also contains soya. Check for warnings about other allergens as well.
You can’t assume that. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that using baker’s salt isn’t compulsory; check the croissant’s ingredients list if iodised salt is important to your choice.
