GB2338947A

GB2338947A - Container of sugar for sprinkling on bakery products

Info

Publication number: GB2338947A
Application number: GB9814525A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon John Cotterell
Original assignee: Bakehouse Ltd
Current assignee: Bakehouse Ltd
Priority date: 1998-07-03
Filing date: 1998-07-03
Publication date: 2000-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2018-07-03
Also published as: IE990552A1; GB9814525D0; GB2338947B

Description

2338947 BAKERY METHOD AND PRODUCT The present invention relates to

foodstuffs, for example, pastries and the like which are prepared for baking at the time of manufacture before being frozen.

The frozen foodstuff may be transported to a retailer (which might typically be the bakery department of a supermarket) where it is baked and sold, fresh or hot, to the customer. Alternatively, the product may be sold direct to the consumer for baking at home.

It is desirable to sprinkle icing sugar over the product to improve its overall appearance before placing it on the shelves. This sugar increases the aesthetic appeal of the product, adds flavour to it and makes customers more willing to buy the product.

Typically, the sugar is provided at the time subsequent to the baking step, i.e. at the retailer's premises. This is necessary because it is not possible to apply the icing sugar before the product has been baked.

However, the retailer must provide his own supply of icing sugar for this purpose which may not be readily to hand when the product is ready to go on sale.

Furthermore, the retailer may run out of icing sugar before he can provide each product with a sugar coating causing the product to have a lower aesthetic appeal to the potential customer.

Also, the retailer requires a sieve or other dispensing instrument to sprinkle the sugar on the product once baked.

In order to alleviate the above problems, the present invention provides a container carrying a quantity of sugar; said container being sealed for the purposes of transportation and being capable of being quickly modified so as to allow the sugar to be sprinkled from the container.

The invention also provides a package suitable for transportation in a refrigerated vehicle, the package comprising:

a plurality of foodstuffs; a container carrying a quantity of sugar; said container being sealed for the purposes of transportation and being capable of being quickly modified so as to allow the sugar to be sprinkled from the container The invention further provides a method of preparing foodstuffs, said method comprising the steps of:

freezing the foodstuffs; packaging the frozen foodstuffs along with a sealed container carrying a quantity of sugar; transporting the package to the retailer; baking or otherwise defrosting the foodstuffs; modifying the container so as to provide openings in the container for sprinkling sugar; and sprinkling sugar on the foodstuffs.

It is possible in some cases for part of the baking to be done at the time of manufacture. In this case, the product can be partially baked before transportation so that the retailer can complete the baking before selling the product. Alternatively, the product can be totally baked at the time of manufacture and the retailer could simply defrost the product before applying the sugar and selling.

In order that the retailer always has a ready supply of icing sugar to hand, the invention provides that the foodstuffs are transported along with a container carrying a premeasured amount of sugar at least sufficient to coat the accompanying products. Thus, a box transporting, for example, Danish pastries, will also carry a container of icing sugar. When the retailer opens the box, he removes the pastries and places them into the oven for baking off.

When this is completed, he has to hand a ready supply of icing sugar for use in providing the pastries with a coating. The container itself is made so as to facilitate the sprinkling of the sugar on the pastries without the need for any special equipment.

The invention will now be further described, by way of non-limitative example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. I shows a first embodiment of a container for storing a premeasured amount of icing sugar, Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a container for storing a premeasured amount of icing sugar.

Fig. 3 shows a package containing pastries and a sugar container, the package being suitable for transport in a lorry.

A first embodiment of the container is shown in Fig.

1. The container body 1 is made of plastic and has typical dimensions of 30mm height, 100 mm top diameter and 80 mm base diameter. The container contains a premeasured amount of icing sugar and is sealed by a foil lid 2. The seal is airtight to prevent the sugar being affected by moisture and is robust enough to ensure that no sugar is lost from and no moisture let in to the container during transportation.

Also, the container and lid are made of materials that are amenable to being subjected to the kind of low temperatures that one may encounter in the frozen section of a refrigerated lorry. When the retailer wishes to use the sugar, he simply punctures the foil lid with a fork or other similar implement to create a plurality of apertures. This piercing step will typically be done a number of times so that the apertures substantially span the area of the lid. The sugar can then be readily sprinkled onto the products to 10 give them a more appealing look.

The foil lid may be a simple foil such as a 40/40 aluminium foil laminate. Other materials capable of being pierced without tearing may also be used. is The container is advantageously a white mono polypropylene tub. It is also advantageous to have instructions to the retailer printed on the foil lid explaining that the lid should be pierced a plurality of times with a fork to enable sprinkling.

A second embodiment of the container is shown in Fig.

2. Here, the container body I is substantially the same as in the first embodiment and only the lid portion 3 differs.

The lid comprises a plurality of ready-made apertures 4 covered by a peelable sealing strip 5. When the time comes to use the sugar, the retailer simply removes the peelable strip and commences sprinkling.

in a modification of this embodiment, the container could be refillable by means of a replaceable lid. This has the advantage that the container is reuseable afterwards as a general sprinkling device.

Figure 3 shows a typical package in accordance with the present invention. The box G contains a plurality of pastries 7 and a sugar container S. During transport, the box would be sealed to prevent any of the pastries 7 or the container 8 falling out. Upon receipt of the package, the retailer would typically store the box in a freezer or the like. When a new batch of pastries is to be baked, the retailer would open the box G and place the pastries 7 in the oven for baking. After baking, the retailer would modify the container 8 so that it is operable to sprinkle icing sugar and then use the container to sprinkle sugar onto the pastries.

Claims

1. A container carrying a quantity of sugar; said container being sealed for the purposes of transportation and being capable of being quickly modified so as to allow the sugar to be sprinkled from the container.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said container includes a lid which may be pierced to allow the sugar to be sprinkled.

3. A container according to claim 2 wherein said lid is made of a material which can be pierced easily without tearing.

is

4. A container according to claim 3 wherein said material is a foil.

5. A container according to claim 1 wherein said container comprises a plurality of apertures sealed by a peelable strip, removal of the strip allowing the sugar to be sprinkled.

9 A package suitable for transportation in a refrigerated vehicle, the package comprising: a plurality of foodstuffs; a container according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method of preparing foodstuffs, said method comprising the steps of:

freezing the foodstuffs; packaging the frozen foodstuffs along with a sealed container carrying a quantity of sugar; transporting the package to the retailer; 3r_ baking or otherwise defrosting the foodstuffs; modifying the container so as to provide openings in the container for sprinkling sugar; and sprinkling sugar on the foodstuffs.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein said foodstuffs are partially or totally baked before being frozen.

9. A method according to claim 7 wherein said foodstuffs are baked by the retailer before being sprinkled with sugar.

10. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein said container is described by any one of claims 1 to 5.

11. A package according to claim 6 or a method according to any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein said foodstuffs are a bakery product.

12. A package according to claim 10 or a method according to claim 10 wherein said bakery product is a Danish pastry, a plain croissant or a filled croissant.

13. A container or package constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.