Bakery launches UK's first insect bread made from hundreds of crickets

Nutritionist says insects are 'valuable source of essential fats'

A British bakery has become the first in the UK to launch a loaf of bread made from hundreds of crickets.

The limited-edition batch of “Crunchy Cricket” loaves have been created by Roberts Bakery in Norwich and are made using cricket flour, which is supplied by Eat Grub – the UK’s leading insect food brand.

According to Roberts Bakery, each loaf of bread contains around 336 crickets, which are dried, ground, mixed with wheat flour and grains and then baked to become what it claims is a “a tremendously tasty loaf with a crunchy finish”.

“Crickets are a really new and exciting food ingredient,” said Stuart Spencer-Calnan, managing director of the bakery.

“They’re incredibly good for you and actually really tasty, despite what people might think.”

Spencer-Calnan added that he thinks people will be “pleasantly surprised” if they try the new loaves and that, so far, the feedback the bakery has received has been “really positive”.

As well as being good for gut health, food experts claim that crickets are packed with nutrients and that the bread made from them contains more protein than a standard loaf.

“As well as having very strong sustainability and environmental credentials, insects are also seriously tasty and shouldn’t be overlooked as a great recipe ingredient,” said Alison Ordonez, head of innovation at Roberts Bakery.

“Our Cricket Loaf provides consumers with a good source of protein and an easy way to familiarise themselves with insect-based food.”

Clinical nutritionist Adele Wolstenhulme agrees, adding that insects have long-been considered a daily staple “through the lens of human evolution”.

“We are simply returning to our ancestral dietary roots,” Wolstenhulme said.

“Given climate change and sustainability issues around meat, we are becoming more aware of the need to seek out alternative protein sources and we shouldn’t dismiss the valuable sources of essential fats that these critters also offer in abundance.

Each loaf of bread contains around 336 crickets (SWNS)

“And, when considering the amount of pressure on land and resources, we should be fully embracing insects as ‘superfoods’.”

Insect-eating, or entomophagy, is becoming increasingly common in large parts of the world.

Last year, the United Nations estimated that at least two billion people eat insects – with many having eaten them traditionally for generations – and more than 1,900 species are used for food.

The bread is said to contain more protein than a standard loaf (SWNS)

The UN added that insects are also a popular choice amongst those who want to protect the environment because farming insects uses less land, water and feed than conventional livestock farming.

Celebrities who have supported the consumption of insects in the past include Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry.