Perfect pastries

Line up a special morning treat for family or guests with these ready-to-eat Asda pastries

Yippee! It’s the weekend, which means there’s finally enough time for a long, lazy brunch or, failing that, just enough time to enjoy a special treat for breakfast. You provide the coffee and tea, and we’ll provide the pastry treats.

Choose your favourites from our selection of Extra Special Croissants and Pain Au Chocolat. Made in the traditional style from rich, creamy French butter, these patisserie classics have multiple layers of perfectly golden, flaky pastry with a sweet, melt-in-the-mouth quality. Serve straight out of the pack or, better still, pop in the oven for a few minutes to wake up the luscious buttery flavours.

For guests, put out a platter of baked beauties for everyone to help themselves. Pair Extra Special Pain Au Chocolat £1.70 (2-pack) and Extra Special All-Butter Croissants £1.70 (2-pack), with a selection of flavoured croissants – we love Extra Special Raspberry Croissants £1.70 (2-pack), with their tart fruit filling – to bring a continental vibe to the breakfast table. Add your favourite jams and conserves and you’ll have a spread that will keep everyone going throughout the day.

The tight-knit community of the Wadsley Bridge suburb of Sheffield doesn’t need a calendar to tell them when Easter’s approaching because a celebratory whiff of sweet and spicy cinnamon fills the air.

‘I always know – I can smell hot cross buns as I walk to work,’ says Jermaine, a development baker at Fletchers, the company that’s put baking at the heart of local life for generations.

Tempting aromas are nothing new to the locals, but the wafts emerging from the bakery at this time of year are especially cheering – the scents herald a season of fresh starts, warmer days, and sunny holidays on the horizon.

‘It’s hot cross crazy in the bakery right now – and it smells delicious!’ says Jermaine.

Heart of the city

Baked goods have been produced in this part of the city of Sheffield since George Henry Fletcher opened his first bakery in 1895. The family-run firm went on to operate a fleet of vans selling bread and cakes across the city. A jingle played on Sheffield’s local station, Radio Hallam, still rings in the ears of older residents –“Better fetch a Fletchers loaf!”.

The van fleet was disbanded in the early 1990s, but the current site on Clay Wheels Lane – which first opened its doors in 1950 – remains a Sheffield landmark. Now part of the Finsbury Food Group, Fletchers bakery is a leading producer of buns and rolls for the UK market, with 400 employees producing 120 million buns, rolls, muffins, baguettes, doughnuts and breads every year.

‘It’s no longer a family business, but there’s still a family feel to the bakery,’ says Jermaine’s fellow development baker, Kevin. ‘There’s a real closeness to the Fletchers team – we’re a very friendly bunch who work hard but have a laugh, too.’

Historically, Fletchers is a place where people tend to stick around. Some have worked here for over 30 years, and two members of the team recently retired after 50 years’ service.

‘That’s down to the culture,’ explains Jermaine. ‘It’s a warm place to work and part of the local community. There’s a brilliant social club where we do all sorts – day-trips, race days, cinema visits – regular raffles and season tickets on offer for Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday football clubs.’

New taste adventures

Both Kevin and Jermaine work in the test kitchen at Fletchers as part of the six-strong development team, where a passion for baking runs deep.

‘I don’t know what it is about baking, but I just love it,’ says Kevin. ‘Maybe it’s in my blood. When I was growing up, my uncle ran his own baker’s shop and I remember going

The tight-knit community of the Wadsley Bridge suburb of Sheffield doesn’t need a calendar to tell them when Easter’s approaching because a celebratory whiff of sweet and spicy cinnamon fills the air.

‘I always know – I can smell hot cross buns as I walk to work,’ says Jermaine, a development baker at Fletchers, the company that’s put baking at the heart of local life for generations.

Tempting aromas are nothing new to the locals, but the wafts emerging from the bakery at this time of year are especially cheering – the scents herald a season of fresh starts, warmer days, and sunny holidays on the horizon.

‘It’s hot cross crazy in the bakery right now – and it smells delicious!’ says Jermaine.

Heart of the city

Baked goods have been produced in this part of the city of Sheffield since George Henry Fletcher opened his first bakery in 1895. The family-run firm went on to operate a fleet of vans selling bread and cakes across the city. A jingle played on Sheffield’s local station, Radio Hallam, still rings in the ears of older residents –“Better fetch a Fletchers loaf!”.

The van fleet was disbanded in the early 1990s, but the current site on Clay Wheels Lane – which first opened its doors in 1950 – remains a Sheffield landmark. Now part of the Finsbury Food Group, Fletchers bakery is a leading producer of buns and rolls for the UK market, with 400 employees producing 120 million buns, rolls, muffins, baguettes, doughnuts and breads every year.

‘It’s no longer a family business, but there’s still a family feel to the bakery,’ says Jermaine’s fellow development baker, Kevin. ‘There’s a real closeness to the Fletchers team – we’re a very friendly bunch who work hard but have a laugh, too.’

Historically, Fletchers is a place where people tend to stick around. Some have worked here for over 30 years, and two members of the team recently retired after 50 years’ service.

‘That’s down to the culture,’ explains Jermaine. ‘It’s a warm place to work and