For breakfast and lunch at a holiday home, choose a loaf labelled both wholemeal and sliced, and check the slice thickness if you’re looking for a medium-thickness slice. Choose a half or whole loaf to suit the number of people eating and the length of your stay; if you won’t get through a whole loaf in time, freeze some portions. If you have specific dietary or allergen requirements, check the latest labels on the loaves you’re considering.
You want to stock up on bread for breakfast and lunch without having lots left over at the end of your stay. The number of people eating, the size of the loaf and whether you can freeze portions will all affect your choice.
You want to make sandwiches straight away, so you’re looking for sliced wholemeal bread. If slice thickness matters, check the description of the product you choose rather than assuming that fine, medium and thick mean the same thing.
You compare ingredients and nutritional information, or need to check the allergens on the latest packaging before eating the bread because of an allergy.
First, check that the loaf you choose is both wholemeal and sliced. Then work out how much bread you’ll use during your stay and, if needed, compare the nutritional information and ingredients on the packaging.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Size and freshness | Compare a half loaf with a whole loaf, and consider whether you can freeze any portions you don’t use. | For a short stay, I don’t want to open more bread than we’ll eat. For around 36% of consumers, stock and freshness come first. |
| Wholemeal and nutritional value | Check that it’s labelled wholemeal and compare fibre and salt per 100 g, or per equal-sized portion. | If I’m choosing this bread because it’s wholemeal, I also want to compare the nutritional value of different loaves. Around 29% of consumers say this is their top priority. |
| Slicing | Check that the loaf is sliced, and ask about the slice thickness if you want a medium-thickness slice. | For breakfast and lunch, I want to be able to take a slice without cutting it myself, but the thickness also needs to suit what we want to eat. Ease of slicing is the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the latest ingredients list and the allergens shown on the packaging. | If someone in my party has an allergy, I need to check the label on the exact loaf before it’s eaten. For around 14% of consumers, this check is their top priority when buying. |
A loaf’s colour doesn’t confirm that it meets your requirements for wholemeal bread.
Check that the product is labelled wholemeal before comparing its size, whether it’s sliced or its nutritional value.
If your party is small or your stay is short, you may have an opened loaf left over before you’ve finished it.
Consider buying a half loaf, or freeze a whole loaf in portions after you buy it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends storing wholemeal bread for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1–3 months in the freezer.
A description of the bread’s texture doesn’t necessarily tell you whether it’s sliced or how thick the slices are. For example, Aldi explicitly describes a fine wholemeal loaf as sliced, while Jumbo lists both fine and coarse wholemeal options.
For the loaf you choose, check separately whether it’s labelled sliced and what the slice thickness is on the packaging or with the retailer.
Albert Heijn’s online wholemeal bread range includes a sliced option and a half loaf.
Jumbo lists fine and coarse wholemeal options in its online range.
Lidl describes a range of freshly baked and pre-packed loaves, and says that packaged loaves display a fibre meter.
Aldi explicitly describes a fine wholemeal loaf as sliced.
PLUS lists a fine option in its online wholemeal bread range, available as both a whole and half loaf.
Dirk lists wholemeal bread in both half and whole loaves.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends storing wholemeal bread for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1–3 months in the freezer. If you won’t finish the loaf within a few days, freeze it in portions after buying it and take out what you need; bread can become drier after being frozen for a long time.
No. Don’t assume those terms describe the same slice. Check whether the loaf you choose is sliced, and ask about the slice thickness if it matters for your breakfast or lunch.
Read the ingredients and allergens listed on the latest packaging for the loaf you’re serving. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that the fourteen allergens required by law must be clearly stated. If someone has an allergy, don’t rely solely on a range page you looked at earlier.
You can only compare them directly if the slices weigh the same. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre gives values for fine wholemeal bread per 35 g slice. To compare products, use the nutritional information per 100 g, or first check that the portions are the same size.
