Choose a fruit loaf that lists wholemeal flour if that ingredient is your priority: Bread Source lists one with sultanas and raisins, but its delivery area is limited. If ready-sliced portions or a particular flavour matter more, conventional fruit loaves and malt loaf offer other choices for tea; check their flour ingredients, compare nutrition per 100g and read the current allergen information before serving.
If you want fruit and wholemeal flour in the same loaf, check the flour ingredient rather than relying on a fibre figure alone. Bread Source lists a Wholemeal Fruit Loaf, with ordering dependent on its local collection or delivery options.
Ready-sliced loaves reduce preparation at the table. Tesco, Warburtons and Soreen list sliced options with different fruit, spice or malt ingredients; check the particular loaf if wholemeal flour also matters to you.
Compare fibre and sugars on the same per-100g basis, then look at the portion you intend to serve. For guests with allergies, use the current pack or ask the seller for information about a loose loaf.
Start with whether wholemeal flour is essential to your choice; then compare serving format, label figures and ingredients across the loaves that fit.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal flour | Read the flour ingredients, separately from the fibre figure. Bread Source lists wholemeal flour in its Wholemeal Fruit Loaf; Warburtons lists wheat flour in its raisin-and-cinnamon loaf, while Soreen lists fortified wheat and malted barley flours in its sliced malt loaf. | I want fruit and wholemeal flour in the same loaf, so a fruit or malt flavour alone will not settle my choice. |
| Serving and flavour | Check whether the loaf is sliced and which fruit or spice ingredients it lists. Compare mixed fruit, raisin-and-cinnamon and raisin-and-malt options according to the serving you have in mind. | Ready-cut portions would make serving tea simpler, or I may prefer one listed flavour combination over another. |
| Nutrition figures | Compare fibre and sugars per 100g before looking at per-slice values. Tesco lists 3.2g fibre per 100g for its sliced fruit loaf; Sainsbury's lists 2.5g per 100g for its checked fruit loaf. Slice figures describe different portions. | If I am comparing labels, I want figures measured on the same weight basis and a serving figure that matches what I plan to offer. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients and precautionary information on the specific pack. For a loose loaf, ask the seller for allergen information; check dried-fruit products individually if sulphites are a concern. | A guest needs ingredient information I can check for the particular loaf, rather than an assumption based on its flavour. |
A loaf can disclose fibre without listing wholemeal flour. That matters when the flour ingredient, rather than the fibre figure, is the reason for choosing it.
Check the flour in the ingredients list and use the per-100g fibre figure for a separate nutrition comparison.
Bread Source lists a Wholemeal Fruit Loaf but states limited delivery radii around its collection points.
Check your delivery address or collection arrangements before choosing it for a particular date.
Ingredients and precautionary information need to match the loaf being served. The Food Standards Agency says food businesses must provide allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food.
Read the current pack, including relevant precautionary statements, or obtain allergen information from the seller for a loose loaf.
These examples illustrate ingredient and serving-format differences; a brand's inclusion does not mean its loaves all use the same flour.
Its listed Wholemeal Fruit Loaf combines wholemeal flour with sultanas and raisins.
Its 400g Sliced Fruit Loaf is a ready-sliced option for serving fruit loaf at tea.
Its raisin-and-cinnamon fruit loaf is a sliced option with those flavours.
Its Sliced Malt Loaf offers ready portions with raisins and a malt flavour.
Its checked 400g Fruit Loaf is another conventional fruit-loaf option.
An Allinson wholemeal bread provides a useful reminder to distinguish bread types, rather than an identified wholemeal fruit-loaf choice.
This Joybuy option is a fruit-named crispbread, not a fruit loaf. Consider it only if crispbread also fits what you intend to serve at afternoon tea.
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Ryvita Fruit Crunch is a crispbread rather than a soft fruit loaf. If your afternoon tea calls for slices of loaf, this is a different serving format.
No. Check the flour ingredients separately from the fibre figure. The checked Tesco fruit loaf and Soreen sliced malt loaf each list 3.2g fibre per 100g, but their stated flours are not identified as wholemeal.
Use per-100g figures to compare different loaves, then consult each pack's slice or serving figure for the portion you plan to offer. The NHS notes that a manufacturer's stated portion may differ from yours.
Follow the instructions on that loaf's current pack. Tesco's fruit-loaf listing gives its own toasting, storage and freezing directions, which should not be assumed to apply to other loaves.
Check your address or collection option before planning to serve it. Bread Source states local delivery radii around its collection points, so its listed Wholemeal Fruit Loaf is not a basis for assuming delivery to another area.
Read the current label for a prepacked loaf, including relevant precautionary information, or ask the seller about a loose loaf. Food Standards Agency guidance says food businesses must provide allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food; check a particular dried-fruit loaf if sulphites are a concern.