Hovis has launched a new sourdough range made with just three ingredients, as more shoppers turn their backs on long ingredient lists and look for bread they can easily understand. The Just…3 loaves contain only flour, water and sea salt, and they’ve gone on sale exclusively in Tesco, with a recommended price of £2 for a 650g loaf. It’s the bakery’s latest move in a fast-growing part of the bread aisle, where sourdough has been quietly shaking up the old favourites.
The new range comes in two varieties, a White loaf and a Seeded loaf, and both stick to the same short recipe. That’s a far shorter list than you’ll find on the back of many standard sliced loaves. There are no added extras, preservatives or hard-to-pronounce ingredients, which is exactly what Hovis says customers have been asking for. Shoppers want simple, recognisable food that doesn’t leave them puzzling over the label, and the brand believes this launch gives them that without having to visit a specialist bakery. For busy households, being able to pick up a short-recipe loaf during the weekly shop could make a big difference.
Hovis has also tried to make these loaves a little different from the sourdough many of us already know. Traditional versions often have a strong, slightly sour tang, a chewy texture and a thick, crunchy crust, which the company admits isn’t always ideal for every meal. Just…3 has been designed with a milder taste and a softer feel, so it can work just as well for a child’s packed lunch as it does for toast at breakfast. It’s a clever way of keeping the appeal of sourdough while removing the bits some people find off-putting.
Hovis is offering a loaf aimed at the whole family.
View this post on Instagram
The idea behind the range is to bring sourdough into more everyday moments, rather than keeping it as a weekend treat or something for special occasions. Plenty of families love the idea of a simpler loaf but find the sharp flavour or tough crust puts younger eaters off. By keeping the taste gentle and the texture soft, Hovis hopes the bread will appeal to fussy eaters as well as grown-ups who already enjoy sourdough. Getting children to eat a loaf with fewer additives could also give parents a little extra peace of mind.
The bakery says the launch is all about giving people more choice, while making shorter ingredient lists easier to find on supermarket shelves. It’s aiming to combine simplicity, good taste and convenience in one loaf that fits into a normal weekly shop. Coming in a familiar shape that’s easy to slice, it’s clearly been made with sandwiches, toast and quick lunches in mind. At £2, it’s also priced to sit alongside other everyday loaves rather than at the pricier end of the shelf.
It marks fresh start for the bakery.
Just…3 is the first new product from Hovis Bakeries since the business was bought by Allied Bakeries in July. That makes it an important launch for the company as it settles into new ownership and works out its plans for the future. Hovis has been a familiar name in British kitchens for generations, so the new owners will be keen to keep it relevant. Bosses have described it as a strong example of how the brand is reacting to changing tastes and looking for new ways to grow. A successful first launch could set the tone for more new products further down the line.
To get the word out, Hovis is backing the brand with a £4m advertising push. The campaign will run across TV, on-demand video, YouTube, radio, social media and posters and billboards. With that much spending behind it, shoppers are likely to be seeing a lot of Hovis over the coming months. The heavy marketing also shows how keen the brand is to win back customers who may have drifted towards rival sourdough makers.
Why sourdough sales are rising so fast
View this post on Instagram
The launch comes as more people move away from traditional white sliced bread and towards sourdough and other speciality loaves. A big reason for the shift is growing worry about ultra-processed foods, which tend to contain long lists of added ingredients. Bread made with only a handful of basic items feels like a simpler, more natural option to many shoppers. Sourdough has also built a reputation as a slightly more special loaf, which helps it stand out in a crowded aisle.
No brand shows this better than Jason’s Sourdough, which has shot up in popularity over the past couple of years. In 2025, it overtook Hovis to become the third-largest bread brand in UK supermarkets, and its sales have more than doubled, rising by around 110 per cent to £116.5m. That kind of jump is almost unheard of in the bread aisle, where sales usually move far more slowly. Its rise has shown other bakeries that there’s a huge appetite for simpler bread among UK shoppers.
The speciality bread brands Brits are buying most
The latest supermarket sales figures show just how big the speciality bread market has become, covering everything from sourdough to bagels, brioche, and doughnuts. Here are the top ten brands by sales over a year, along with how much each one grew or fell:
Warburtons, £295.4m, up 4.3 per cent
Jason’s Sourdough, £116.5m, up 111 per cent
New York Bakery Co, £75.8m, down 13.4 per cent
Krispy Kreme, £45m, down 8.5 per cent
Deli Kitchen, £25.8m, up 8.1 per cent
St Pierre, £24.7m, up 7.2 per cent
7 Days, £19.2m, up 21.1 per cent
Brioche Pasquier, £17.4m, up 18.6 per cent
Crosta Mollica, £14.6m, up 64.4 per cent
Krispy Kreme Cakes, £13.5m, up 10 per cent
Warburtons is still comfortably on top with sales of nearly £300m, but Jason’s Sourdough stands out with sales that have more than doubled in a single year. Italian bakery brand Crosta Mollica has also enjoyed a big boost, while 7 Days and Brioche Pasquier have grown strongly too. On the other hand, New York Bakery Co and Krispy Kreme have both seen their sales slip, suggesting some shoppers may be moving away from sweeter or more processed choices.
Big names are joining the sourdough race.
View this post on Instagram
The success of Jason’s has pushed other bakeries to boost their own sourdough choices. Hovis launched its first sourdough range last October, just over a year ago, made up of a White Sourdough Cob and a Seeded Sourdough Cob. Just…3 builds on that, offering a sliced-style loaf that’s softer and easier to use every day. Having both styles on offer means customers can choose between a crusty cob and a softer sandwich loaf.
Warburtons has also got in on the act. In June 2025, it launched its Our Dough range, which comes in sliced white and wholegrain loaves with a gentle sourdough flavour. With several major brands now competing for space, shoppers have more choice than ever when it comes to simpler bread. That competition could also help keep prices in check, as brands battle to win a place in our shopping baskets.
How to pick a simpler loaf on your next shop
If you’re keen to cut back on extra ingredients, whether for yourself or the family, the easiest trick is to turn the packet over and read the label before it goes in your basket. A loaf with only a few items listed, such as flour, water, salt and perhaps yeast or seeds, is usually a good sign. Don’t rely on the word sourdough alone, as some loaves only have a hint of that flavour and may still contain added extras.
It also helps to compare prices by weight, since loaf sizes can vary a lot from brand to brand. At £2 for 650g, the new Hovis range works out at around £3.08 per kilo, so check the small shelf label to see how it stacks up against other options in your store. Sourdough also freezes well, so slicing a loaf and popping half in the freezer is a handy way to cut waste and keep fresh bread on hand all week. You can toast slices straight from frozen, which makes busy mornings that little bit easier.
