If you want to share the bread there and then, a ready-to-eat wholemeal crusty loaf is ideal; sliced wholemeal bread is more practical for sandwiches you make in advance. A loaf to finish baking at home is another option if you have time to bake and cool it before you leave. For all types, check the ingredients, allergen and nutrition information on the packaging. Pack any fillings that need chilling separately in a cool bag.
If you want to serve bread in pieces on a picnic blanket or table, a whole or half wholemeal crusty loaf could be a good choice. Decide in advance whether you’ll slice it at home or bring a bread knife and chopping board.
If wholemeal ingredients, fibre, salt or allergens influence your choice, look beyond the name or dark colour. Compare the nutrition information per 100 g and check the packaging of the loaf you buy.
If you want to make sandwiches in advance and serve them without any slicing, sliced bread is an obvious choice. A loaf to finish baking at home needs time in the oven and time to cool. Fillings that need to stay chilled also require a cool bag.
First, decide how you want to serve the bread: a ready-to-eat crusty loaf to share, a loaf to finish baking at home or slices for sandwiches made in advance. Then check the label and plan how you’ll transport the fillings.
Choose this if: you want to put a whole loaf on the table and cut it into pieces there and then.
Bear in mind: a whole loaf needs slicing, either at home or at the picnic spot.
Choose this if: you have an oven and time to prepare it before you leave.
Bear in mind: the loaf also needs to cool before you wrap or slice it.
Choose this if: you want to make sandwiches in advance and serve them without a bread knife.
Bear in mind: you’ll be serving individual slices rather than sharing a loaf there and then.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation and sharing | Would a whole, half or sliced loaf suit the way you want to serve it? Will you need a knife for an unsliced loaf? | If I want to put bread on the table so everyone can take a piece, the shape matters more than having pre-sliced portions. An estimated 36% of consumers put this first when choosing. |
| Label and ingredients | Read the ingredients and allergen information; compare fibre and salt on the same basis, such as per 100 g. Check the type of salt if using iodised salt matters to your choice. | If ingredients or allergens are important for my group, I want to be able to check the packaging rather than rely on a rustic-sounding name. An estimated 36% of consumers say checking the label is their main concern. |
| Preparation and transport | Check whether the loaf still needs baking or slicing, and pack any fillings that need chilling in a cool bag. | I want to know how much preparation the bread needs before I leave, and how to keep the fillings cool while I transport them. This is estimated to be the main consideration for 28% of consumers. |
A dark colour, crust or mix of seeds doesn’t tell you which types of flour the bread contains. Looks alone are no substitute for checking the ingredients list.
Check the product description and ingredients on the packaging. Use the nutrition information per 100 g if you want to compare the fibre or salt content of different loaves.
A par-baked loaf, such as Jumbo’s Oerbrood Vloer Pompoen Volkoren, isn’t ready to take with you straight away: it needs to be finished baking at home.
Read the cooking instructions before choosing, and allow time for the loaf to cool too. Otherwise, choose bread that’s ready to eat.
Fillings that are normally kept chilled need to be handled differently from bread during transport. The Voedingscentrum recommends using a cool bag for chilled picnic food.
Take chilled fillings out of the fridge shortly before you leave, transport them in a cool bag and keep them separate from the bread until you’re ready to eat.
A product page can help you identify a type of bread, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be available at your local branch when you’re getting ready for your picnic.
Check local availability before you leave, and read the label on the loaf you actually choose in store.
These brands offer options in different bread styles. The details below apply to the products mentioned, not necessarily to their entire ranges.
Onze Trots Vloerbrood volkoren half is an example of a half crusty loaf for sharing.
Oerbrood Vloer Pompoen Volkoren shows how a wholemeal loaf with pumpkin seeds fits into the finish-at-home baking option.
Fijn volkoren is an alternative if you’d rather have a standard-sized loaf than a crusty loaf.
ALDI’s bread range includes fresh wholemeal loaves and an extra-high-fibre wholemeal option.
PLUS Korenlanders Rustiek Vloerbrood Volkoren is a whole par-baked wheat and rye loaf for anyone looking for a crusty loaf.
Vloerbrood volkoren heel is an example of a whole loaf you can share at a picnic.
These options include round loaves that need to be finished baking at home, a rye bread product and Lebanese flatbread. They suit different ways of transporting and serving bread, so check the preparation instructions and product shape before choosing.
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A good choice for a picnic where you want to share two round loaves and have time to prepare them at home. The product information says to defrost, finish baking and cool the loaf before slicing.
Before comparing fibre or salt values, check the unit used on the packaging. Also check the ingredients to see which type of salt is used if that matters to your choice.
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For anyone who wants to take one round loaf to share and can prepare it at home. According to the product information, the loaf needs to be defrosted, finished baking and cooled before slicing.
Check the packaging to see what quantity the nutrition information is based on, and which type of salt is listed in the ingredients if that matters to your choice.
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A rye bread option if you’re considering something other than a round crusty loaf. The title suggests bread rolls, while the product description refers to sliced rye bread, so check the product shape on the packaging before you buy.
If you’re choosing based on ingredients or allergens, check the label for this version.
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For anyone who’d rather take individual flatbreads than slice a whole crusty loaf at the picnic. This is a different style of bread from a round crusty loaf or sliced sandwich bread.
Check the full ingredients and allergen information on the packaging, especially if wheat or the possible presence of soya or milk is relevant to your group.
No. Colour and appearance aren’t reliable substitutes for checking the label. Look for wholemeal flour in the product description and ingredients list; the ingredients for the Albert Heijn and PLUS loaves mentioned above explicitly list wholemeal wheat flour.
Transport fillings that are normally kept chilled in a cool bag, as the Voedingscentrum recommends for chilled picnic food. Take them out of the fridge shortly before you leave and keep them separate from the bread until you’re ready to eat.
For opened wholemeal bread, the Voedingscentrum recommends storing it in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months. Freeze portions if you want to use the bread later, and follow the storage and date information on the packaging too.
No, the word ‘wholemeal’ doesn’t tell you which type of salt is used in a particular loaf. Check the ingredients list on the packaging or, for unpackaged bread, ask the baker which ingredients have been used.
