Feature: Timeless Classics

Credit: Just Wholefoods

Among the nation’s bakers is a cohort of dessert connoisseurs seeking nostalgia with ‘no nasties’ and Rosie Greenaway has found just the brand to answer the brief — here she speaks to Just Wholefoods owner Fliss Newland about why tradition with a twist will never go out of style.

The UK’s bakery and sweet treats sector is worth an estimated £9.7 billion and according to Straits Research the rising trend of healthy living, natural nutrition and organic products has only helped drive this figure. 

As a nation, we appear somewhat obsessed with baking — so much so that the marketing world labelled January as National Baking Month. Half a Christmas fruitcake might still be lurking in the pantry, but this annual calendar moment brings an opportunity for budding bakers to continue the momentum and while away the winter months sifting, whisking and drizzling their way towards Pancake Day and Easter. 

Perhaps they’ll take a leaf out of Marko Josipovic’s book — buying assistant at Planet Organic — and experiment with Daylesford’s indulgent Cherries in Kirsch or Figs in Cognac, destined for a frangipane tart. Perhaps they’ll turn to the baking trends of 2025 for inspiration, in which the ‘sour power’ of sour cherries, sea buckthorn and rhubarb add a subtle sharpness to pastry items, and fennel seeds, basil and sage make an appearance in custard tarts and cheesecakes, blurring the lines between sweet and savoury. Or perhaps they’ll turn to timeless, beloved British classics such as trifle, spurred on by The Great British Bake Off and enduring scratch cooking habits formed in lockdown. 

Cult following 

Occupying a somewhat retro spot in the dessert space is Just Wholefoods — an iconic 1985 brand which longstanding health stores will know well, now owned by Fliss Newland who acquired the business in late 2023 after a stint at Mondelez. Playing into the nostalgia and comfort of childhood foods, its baking portfolio comprises quick-set Vegan Jelly (Lively Lemon, Raw Raspberry, Tropical Twist and Simply Strawberry), gluten-free Custard Powder (Vanilla) and a remarkably clever gelatine alternative called Vegeset which sets any liquid clear, making the range a store cupboard staple for anyone leaning towards sweet sentimentality. 

Upon acquisition Newland gave the legacy brand a light refresh, dialling up its heritage with the brand story on-pack, adopting ‘Lovingly founded in The Cotswolds’ as a slogan to pay homage to its ‘eco-champion’ founders Anne and James, making key information more prominent to ease the shopper experience, and unifying the range to appear more like a family. 

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025 Just Wholefoods has ‘a gorgeously loyal audience’ and a ‘niche, cult following’; countless customers have expressed relief that the range lives on, enabling them to introduce vegan favourites from childhood to their own kids.

Culinary creations 

Famed for what is omitted from its ingredient lists — artificial additives, getaline and excess sugar — Just Wholefoods’ recipes have stood the test of time, relying on only natural ingredients to achieve bright colours and bold flavours in its Jelly and Custard Powder SKUs. “If you don’t want an overly sweet custard you can just sweeten it yourself to taste,” explains Newland. “Because the retail buyer has always been health food stores predominantly, I know that is quite a USP.”

Newland also praises the multi-purpose Vegeset for its versatility and says although it’s possible to achieve ‘fun culinary’ results, it’s a product which is generally underutilized, with many amateur pastry chefs unaware it can be used to set occasion-led puds such as panna cotta, lemon posset and crème brûlée. So it’s gratifying when customers regale her with examples of how they’ve used Vegeset to whip up imaginative new flavours of jelly for a layered trifle, or share that they’ve created boozy jelly cubes as cocktail garnishes, serving them to impressed party guests. 

Jelly and custard might be retro, but a new demographic of baker is embracing tradition with a healthier twist, securing Just Wholefoods’ future for another 40 years and beyond. 

Fusion flavours 

When Clearspring launched its Matcha and Miso Maple Organic Oat Biscuits late last year the brand tapped into the popularity of fusion flavours — a blossoming trend the baking world expects to grow throughout 2025 and one which the internet already appears to love, with countless cupcake recipes calling for matcha buttercreams or glazes featuring hints of yuzu and miso. 

In this new line Clearspring marries small-batch Scottish oats with the flavours of Canadian maple and Japanese miso and matcha, creating high-fibre, vegan baked treats to be savoured at home or on-the-go. Two years in the making, the biscuits are a new venture for the brand, as it dips its toes into sweet snacks with this ‘unique, internationally inspired’ offer. 

By Rosie Greenaway, editor