Kingsmill Bread Is Rubbish
Kingsmill Bread Is Rubbish
The world of the premium white sliced loaf is an odd one.
On the one hand we have Hovis. It’s sold as being bread. Not posh bread, just bread. Which is it all it is, really. A bit more expensive, but at heart it’s white sliced, only more so. Nice and moist, fine texture, tastes a bit more bready than Tesco Value, makes a good bacon butty. These are all obviously good things, and it’s what I end up buying more often than not.
And then we have Kingsmill. Launched into the world by the faintly ridiculous ‘Bread and Butler’ advertising campaign, the Kingsmill brand has always had a specifically posh aura about it. This is embodied in the bread itself. Rather than adopt the Hovis white-sliced-only-better approach, it aspires to the condition of your actual traditional square tin loaf ie Proper Posh Bread. It does this by having a drier, coarser texture and, as Dave B points out below, smelling of fish.
Now, the latter is obviously a serious misstep unless you happen to be making fish finger sarnies, but it’s the former that really gets to me. Yes, Proper Posh Bread is a bit drier than sliced white, but it’s also more elastic. This means it can cope with a serious bit of buttering. Kingsmill can’t. Unless your butter is on the point of melting its weirdly textured slices tear as soon as they makes contact with your knife. It’s a sandwich bread that you can’t actually make sandwiches with. Marvellous.
In conclusion: Kingsmill = rub. So why is it that whenever I am forced to do a bit of emergency bread shopping it’s so much easier to find than Hovis? Do we live in a nation of snobs who like their sandwiches torn and smelling of fish? Or is there some sinister cartel forcing corner shops and Paddington Sainsburys to stock nothing but Kingsmill?
Site powered by
Kieran on October 23rd, 2006
You are not alone in this opinion.
In fact, I’ve never met a Kingsmill fan.
Did you put the glass in the bread recently?
dionne ead on February 16th, 2007
I think Kingsmill is a wonderful brand which has improved over the years,It doesn’t not smell of fish at all! even their omega 3 bread doesn’t taste of fish
Vinny on February 26th, 2007
This comment is so out of date. The new Kingsmill is miles better than Hovis and its got less salt in it which Hovis keep quiet about.
jona on February 27th, 2007
The one (not strictly true) thing that’s annoyed me since moving to London is the lack of Warburtons. No more! http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2020366,00.html
I even get a choice between blue and orange in my local Sainsburys-in-the-garage.
I’ve never tried green Super Toastie though. I suspect there’s only 4 slices in a loaf.
Vinny on February 27th, 2007
Jona you have more money than sense ! Warbies is 10p more than Kingsmill every time and no better quality
steve on April 20th, 2007
Kingsmill bread has had a transformation..Better packaging,Better Quality, Better taste.It’s the Hovis bread thats rubbish.
acess denied on May 1st, 2007
im not keen on Kingsmill or Hovis bread it tastes like it has too much yeast in it i prefer the supermarkets fresh baked bread you know the one the hot loaf fresh from the oven yummy! or i prefer to make bread at home you cant beat fresh baked home made bread
scottys on September 26th, 2007
Kingsmill is loads better! Hovis should close down and warbys use lots of chems to keep it fresh
Buy kingsmill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
scottys on September 26th, 2007
Just buy the Kingsmill its the best. I love the kingsmill.
scottys on September 26th, 2007
i love the kingsmill
Marcello Carlin on September 27th, 2007
The Kingsmill? Is this a Verve-style brand change?
Tom on September 27th, 2007
Don’t interrupt his train of thought!
Caledonianne on September 27th, 2007
Another vote for Warburtons - especially Toastie, and the yummy Seeded Batch!
Marcello Carlin on September 27th, 2007
I had to try Warburtons once (Toastie variety) when the useless supermarket was out of all other bread. It tasted like Polyfilla I’m afraid. These days I’m more of a New York Bagel toastie man than a bread man, as such.
The Kingsmill - didn’t they do “Louie Louie”?
(sorry, someone had to get it in)
Billy Smart on September 27th, 2007
New York Bagels, which just taste of sugar to me, are inferior to the Tesco variety. I once read a comparison piece by a baker in Observer Food Monthly which suggested that Tesco bagels were the only ones to boil the dough, as should be done for the authentic bagel experience.
Marcello Carlin on September 28th, 2007
I’ll have to try those Tesco ones.
“Bilsland Bakeries make bread” to thread (there’s one for the teenagers).
Caledonianne on September 29th, 2007
Pardon the Weegie talk, everybody.
I drive past this on the Kingston Bridge every time I’m home, but have never ventured down to have a look at thsi icon from childhood.
http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=29898
And what about Sunblest as in “He packs his lunch bin a Sunblest bag” (thereby enabling him to save his bawbees for that ship called “Dignity”)?
Mick on October 2nd, 2007
Kingsmill & Hovis…what a big Disappointment, both breads taste starchy, stale & heavy, when it should be: light, soft & tasty!!
From now on I will make my own bread or by supermarket home baked too…Shame on you: Kingsmill & Hovis…you consider yourself to be quality…lol!!!!!!
Mick on October 2nd, 2007
One more thing, when will the supermarkets remove these breads from our shelves, and replace it with the quality that the customers need, want and deserve…we have our standards!!
Why pay for junk when you can do better yourself??
PLEASE!
Dr Tom on October 4th, 2007
What about Allinson and Burgen? Are these not quality breads??
John Sways on December 22nd, 2007
Oh, where did Mothers Pride go?
Mike Davis on February 8th, 2008
Kingsmill was brill bread around hear until a couple of years ago. That is until after they had swept away all the opposition from the local shops. It was firm and fine textured and was sold as a premium brand.
Then things went rapidly down hill. Now all you can get is their “Great Everyday” loaf. Now it’s rubbery, misshapened and full of holes with an india rubber crust.
The white Hovis also seems to be from the same stable with similar faults.
Joss on September 12th, 2008
I am amazed at these comments!
Kingsmill, Hovis, Allisons?
These are all low grade flours full of flour treatments then manufactured into tasteless, revolting items of modern nasty food.
What about hand crafted loaves from fine Cotswold Flours? Or delicious French bread (not the supermarket impersonations) made from slow grown, untreated wheat varieties?
How about Ciabatta - not what you guys eat, but what the Italians eat and expect daily. A starter dough fermented for at least 24 hours, then mixed into a very wet dough, lightly shaped (too wet to kneed) then baked in very hot ovens.
Please, please, please - support proper bakers! And not the atrocities that the supermarket sells! (And that includes their in-store bakeries) Companies like Warburtons, Kingsmill and the supermarkets are killing traditional, wonderful foods for their own profits. Please don’t help them.