For your Boxing Day buffet, start by choosing bread labelled wholemeal: sourdough alone doesn’t tell you whether it’s made from the whole grain. A whole, rustic loaf works well on a breadboard, while sliced wholemeal sourdough is more practical if you’re preparing lots of evenly topped slices. If you’re buying bakery bread in store, check availability in advance and ask for allergen information if needed.
Want to make sure your buffet includes wholemeal bread? Check the label on the bread or its packaging, rather than judging by its colour. According to the Voedingscentrum, wholemeal bread is made from the whole grain.
Want to serve a whole loaf in thick slices alongside your toppings? Check the loaf’s shape, crust and availability. Jumbo and PLUS describe sourdough loaves in their in-store bakery ranges; check whether each loaf is also wholemeal.
If you want to top evenly sized slices quickly, sliced bread is a handy choice. You can freeze any portions you won’t use as soon as you get home, as advised by the Voedingscentrum.
Choose this if: you want to share a loaf and cut thick slices yourself for the breadboard.
Bear in mind: availability varies by shop. Jumbo says its sourdough loaves, baked fresh in store, can’t be ordered online.
Choose this if: you want to prepare lots of topped slices without having to cut the loaf yourself.
Bear in mind: you won’t be able to present sliced bread as a whole loaf on the breadboard. Check the packaging of the bread you buy for up-to-date ingredient and allergen information.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal labelling | Check that the bread is labelled wholemeal; its colour and the word sourdough are no substitute. | I want the bread on my buffet to be genuinely wholemeal, even if another loaf looks dark and rustic. For around 45% of these consumers, choosing wholemeal comes first. |
| Breadboard and sourdough | Decide whether you want to serve a whole loaf, and check whether each product is both wholemeal and sourdough. | For a breadboard, I want to cut sturdy slices myself and care more about the sourdough character than preparing toppings quickly. For around 33% of these consumers, presentation takes priority. |
| Portions and planning | Check whether the bread is sliced and whether you can freeze any unused portions as soon as you get home. | If I’m preparing lots of bites, I want evenly sized slices and don’t want to have to use the whole loaf at once. Easy portioning is the main concern for around 22% of these consumers. |
Bread can be made with sourdough without being wholemeal. According to the Voedingscentrum, wholemeal means using the whole grain; sourdough refers to fermentation.
Check that it’s labelled wholemeal first, then decide whether you’d also like a sourdough option.
Jumbo says its sourdough loaves, baked fresh in store, can’t be ordered online. Lidl says Rustiek volkoren desembrood is only available in store.
Check with the shop you plan to visit in advance, and have another wholemeal option in mind.
If the bread you want isn’t available, you may need to make an extra trip to another shop.
The name of a loaf doesn’t tell you which allergens it contains. For unpackaged bread, you’ll need to ask the retailer for this information.
Read the allergen information on the shelf or ask a member of staff before buying. If it contains gluten-containing cereals, ask which cereal it is.
If you buy more bread than you’re serving, you’ll need a plan for storing what’s left.
Freeze the bread in portions as soon as you get home, following the Voedingscentrum’s advice, and take out only what you need.
Albert Heijn lists AH OerDesem volkoren Allinson heel gesneden, an option to consider if you want to prepare topped slices in advance.
Among its in-store bakery loaves, Jumbo lists Jumbo's desem volkoren pompoen.
Lidl describes Rustiek volkoren desembrood as a wholemeal wheat sourdough loaf.
Aldi is an option if having wholemeal bread on your buffet matters more than confirming it’s sourdough.
PLUS describes its Korenlanders sourdough loaves as an option for anyone putting together a breadboard with in-store bakery bread.
Dirk lists both wholemeal and sourdough bread in its bread range.
No, sourdough doesn’t automatically mean the bread is wholemeal. Sourdough refers to fermentation, so also check that the bread is labelled wholemeal for your buffet.
Before buying, check the retailer’s allergen information or ask a member of staff. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that, for cereals containing gluten, the specific cereal must also be stated.
Check the ingredients on the packaging or, for unpackaged bread, ask the baker. The Voedingscentrum describes special baker’s salt with added iodine; the words wholemeal and sourdough alone don’t tell you which salt was used in a particular loaf.
Yes. You can buy bread in advance and freeze it in portions as soon as you get home, as advised by the Voedingscentrum. For your buffet, take out only the portions you need, and follow any storage instructions on the packaging.
