If you want a genuinely thick slice to pile with toppings alongside your pea soup, choose bread whose slice thickness you can check and toast it yourself. Ready-made toast is more convenient to serve straight away, but the Melba varieties described here are thin or extra thin. Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information for each product, too.
If you’re looking for a substantial slice to go with your pea soup or to pile with toppings, check the thickness of the bread you plan to toast. According to Jumbo’s product information, the Van der Meulen Melba varieties described here are thin or extra thin.
Ready-made crunchy toast is a good choice for a meal when you don’t want to toast bread yourself. Haust says its Krokant Toast is baked twice in the oven and stays crunchy for longer when topped; this doesn’t tell you anything about the slice thickness.
If the type of grain, fibre, salt or allergens are important to your choice, compare the information on the current packaging. The toast varieties described here differ in their ingredients and potential allergens.
Choose this if: you want a thick slice with your pea soup and would like to check its thickness before buying.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to toast the bread yourself, and check the slice thickness for each loaf.
Choose this if: you want to serve crunchy toast straight away with your soup or topped with your favourite ingredients.
Bear in mind: the Melba toast described here is thin or extra thin, so it won’t necessarily meet your expectations if you want a thick slice.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Slice thickness | Check the slice in store or ask the baker how thick it is; don’t rely on the word ‘toast’ alone. | With pea soup, I want a slice I can check is thick enough for plenty of toppings. Slice thickness is the top priority for around 42% of consumers when making this choice. |
| Label | Compare the ingredients, allergens, fibre and salt per 100 g on the current packaging. | If I’m sharing a meal with others, I want to know which ingredients and allergens the toast contains. The label is the most important factor for around 33% of consumers. |
| Convenience | Check whether the toast is ready to serve and whether the product format described suits your toppings. | If I want to serve toast straight away alongside my soup, toasting it myself is less convenient. For around 25% of consumers, being able to serve it immediately is the deciding factor. |
According to Jumbo’s product information, Van der Meulen Melba Naturel is made from thin slices, while the Multigrain variety is described as extra thin. So the word ‘toast’ in the product name doesn’t mean you’ll get a thick slice.
Check the slice before buying, either in store, on the packaging or with the baker.
The toast products described here contain different ingredients and may include different allergens. A label such as ‘multigrain’ doesn’t replace the ingredients and allergen information.
Check the current packaging, even if you’ve bought the product before.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 1,74 g of salt in a 250 g bowl of pea soup. The amount may vary depending on the recipe and portion size, and the toast and any toppings add more.
Compare the salt content of the toast per 100 g and consider how much you’re serving.
These examples can help you compare product formats and labels; a brand name alone doesn’t confirm that the slices are thick.
Ready-made Melba toast, including plain and multigrain varieties.
Haust Krokant Toast is ready-made toast for serving with toppings alongside soup.
Jos Poell Toast Krokant is an example of ready-made crunchy toast.
No. According to Jumbo’s product information, Van der Meulen Melba Naturel is made from thin slices, while the multigrain variety is described as extra thin. Check the slice thickness if a thick slice is important to go with your pea soup.
Compare the salt content per 100 g and consider how much toast you’ll actually serve. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 1,74 g of salt in a 250 g bowl of pea soup; the salt content of your own soup may differ.
Check the ingredients list and any warnings on the current packaging. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergens which must be declared by law should be clearly identifiable in the ingredients list.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, baker’s salt contains iodine, but bakers aren’t required to use it. Check the ingredients list on packaged bread or ask your baker; don’t assume that every toast product contains baker’s salt.
