BREAD fans are at baking point — over Mothers Pride Plain’s disappearance from shops.
The iconic Scottish white loaves have not been on shelves for around two weeks.
One shopper told The Scottish Sun: “It’s been awful – other loafs just don’t give you what Mothers Pride does.
“I’ve asked staff in my local supermarket but no actual reason has been given for why they are out of stock.
“I hope it’s back soon – my sandwiches haven’t been the same for the past fortnight.”
Insiders claim the shock shortage is down to a packaging blunder that means the slices stick to the wrapping.
The Glasgow-produced loaf has been wrapped in wax-coated paper since it was first sold in 1936.
It will now transition to a standard bread bag – with the Scottish batch plant receiving an expensive upgrade to cope with the new materials.
Makers Hovis last night apologised and said they hope to have the staple back next month.
Hovis told complaining punters of “supply problems”.
In an email seen by the Scottish Sun, the bakers said: “We have had issues with the commissioning of the packing lines and are currently unable to produce from this line.”
They added that they are working with suppliers to try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible but the bread will be off the shelves for a while longer.
A spokesman for owner Hovis said: “We apologise for the disruption to supply. It will be back on shelves early in June.”
Mothers Pride’s Scots version is made in a large baking tray, which means the loaves only form a crust on the top and bottom.
It differs from a pan loaf, which is baked in an individual tray which forms a crust around the whole bread.
The two types of bread were immortalised in the Jeely piece song – a Scots folk song written in the 1960s – in the line: “If it’s butter, cheese or jeely, if the breed is plain or pan”.
The Glasgow factory is the last remaining Batch Plant in the UK that can still make Plain loaf at scale.
During the 1970s and 80s, it was a best-selling brand of white bread in the UK.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
