Choose sliced wholemeal sourdough if you want a slice of bread to be the base of your solo meal. Freeze individual slices so you can take out just what you need for each meal. Choose thin, crisp toast for a smaller portion with a topping or dip, but don’t treat it as the same thing as sourdough bread. For both, check the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens for the variant you choose.
If you’re cooking for one and want to use a slice of bread as the base of your meal, sliced sourdough that you can freeze in portions is a practical option. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists freezing as a way to store bread.
Thin Melba toast can be a good choice for a light lunch, topped snack or dip. Van der Meulen describes Melba Naturel as bread that is thinly sliced and then toasted. It’s a different choice from a slice of sourdough as the base of a meal.
If fibre, salt or allergens are important to your decision, compare the ingredients lists and nutritional information for the variants you’re considering. The words sourdough, wholemeal and toast don’t, on their own, tell you what the full ingredients list looks like.
First decide whether the toast needs to replace a slice of bread as the base of your meal, or whether you want a small, crisp base for toppings. Then consider how you’ll store the portions and which label details matter to you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Storing portions | Check whether the bread is sliced and read the storage instructions. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against storing bread in the fridge, as it dries out there. | If I only use a few slices a week, I want to be able to store the rest separately rather than having to finish a whole loaf at once. Around 36% of consumers prioritise portion planning. |
| Crispness and size | Compare thin, ready-to-eat crisp toast with a slice of bread you toast yourself, then decide which size suits your toppings and meal. | For a small portion with a topping or dip, I’m mainly looking for a thin, crisp base. Around 36% of consumers prioritise the convenience of a crisp option. |
| Nutritional information and allergens | Check whether the packaging says wholemeal, then compare fibre and salt per 100 g and for the portion you’ll eat. Check the highlighted allergens. | If ingredients, fibre, salt or allergens influence my choice, I want to know exactly what’s in this variant. For around 28% of consumers, checking the label is their top priority. |
Sourdough bread can be white, brown or wholemeal. Fibre and salt levels also vary by product: Albert Heijn lists 6,3 g of fibre and 0,85 g of salt per 100 g for AH OerDesem volkoren Allinson, while Jumbo lists 9,7 g of fibre and 1,9 g of salt per 100 g for Van der Meulen Melba Volkoren Toast. These figures describe two specific products, not their categories as a whole.
Look for the word wholemeal on the packaging of the product you choose, then compare the nutritional information per 100 g and for the amount you’ll actually eat.
If you’re cooking for one, a whole loaf may last longer than you’d like to keep it fresh. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread dries out in the fridge, but it can be frozen.
If needed, choose sliced bread and freeze individual portions according to the storage instructions on the packaging. Don’t eat mouldy bread.
Van der Meulen Melba Toast Naturel is made from thinly sliced bread that is toasted again. A small, crisp piece of toast and a slice of sourdough don’t automatically serve the same purpose in a meal. What’s more, the product name Melba doesn’t confirm that sourdough has been used.
Choose based on the size you want, and check the ingredients if it’s important to you that the product contains sourdough.
A product name doesn’t tell you which allergens it contains or how much salt is in the variant you’ve chosen. For example, AH OerDesem volkoren Allinson lists iodised salt, but that doesn’t mean the same applies to every bread or toast product.
Check the current label for ingredients, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings, especially if this information will affect your purchase.
The sourdough range includes several variants, including sliced bread that can work as the base of a solo meal.
The toast range includes both its own crisp toast and Melba products. These are options for small portions with toppings, alongside bread that you can toast yourself.
Melba is a Van der Meulen product range of thin, crisp toast for toppings or dips.
Bolletje offers knäckebröd, a dry, crisp base. It’s a different type of product from sourdough bread or Melba toast.
The in-store bakery offers bread you can toast at home. Lidl also stocks an organic rustic sourdough loaf.
No. Sourdough and wholemeal don’t mean the same thing. Check whether the packaging explicitly says wholemeal, then compare the nutritional information for the products you’re considering. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholegrain cereal products contain more fibre than white cereal products made from refined flour.
Divide sliced bread into portions and freeze the slices you want to use later, following the storage instructions on the packaging. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against storing bread in the fridge, as it dries out there.
Read the ingredients list on the bread you’re buying; don’t rely on the words bread or sourdough alone. For example, Albert Heijn lists iodised salt in AH OerDesem volkoren Allinson, but that tells you nothing about the ingredients in other variants.
Check the highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the packaging of the variant you choose. According to the product information at Jumbo, Van der Meulen Melba Toast Naturel contains wheat, barley and soya, and may contain sesame. The wholemeal variant lists, among other things, barley, rye, sesame, soya and wheat.
