Wrights has unveiled two limited-edition products to celebrate its 100th anniversary, including a premium pie created in collaboration with chef Thom Bateman, with availability in wholesale from April.
The bakery brand, part of The Compleat Food Group, is marking the milestone with the Centenary Chicken, Leek & Bacon Pie and the Centenary Caramel Custard Slice, designed to showcase its heritage across savoury and sweet categories while offering operators premium options for food-to-go and retail counters.
Developed with Great British Menu star Thom Bateman, the chicken, leek and bacon pie features chicken thigh in a creamy filling, encased in cheese shortcrust pastry with a puff pastry lid and finished with a bacon-flavoured crumb. The recipe was refined with input from former chairman and CEO Peter Wright, grandson of the company’s founders.
Supplied frozen and unbaked in a 245g format, the pie can be baked and served in around 30 minutes, making it suitable for convenience stores with hot food-to-go, as well as pubs and cafés looking to offer a premium bakery option.
Bateman said working on the product was “a real privilege”, adding that the aim was to honour Wrights’ heritage while bringing a fresh approach to flavour and texture.
“Wrights has such a deep heritage in baking, so the goal was to honour that craftsmanship while bringing a fresh approach to flavour and texture. The result is a pie that is hearty, indulgent and incredibly satisfying. It’s a celebration of everything Wrights stands for, and I can’t wait to see operators across the country serving it,” he said.
Wrights Centenary Caramel Custard SlicePhoto: Handout
The second launch, the 170g Centenary Caramel Custard Slice, offers a twist on Wrights’ classic vanilla custard slice, featuring caramel custard layered between puff pastry and topped with caramel icing. Also supplied frozen and unbaked, the format allows retailers to defrost as needed to help minimise waste.
Both products will be available through wholesale from April and are already rolling out freshly baked in Wrights shops, vans and selected UK forecourts.
Helen Bowyer, commercial director – foodservice at The Compleat Food Group, said the launches were a fitting way to mark the brand’s centenary.
“Wrights has been baking with pride for 100 years, and what better way to celebrate this milestone than with two limited-edition products that showcase our heritage, quality and expertise,” she said. “Both are timeless classics with a modern twist, and we’re excited to see them appearing on menus, café counters and in our own outlets throughout 2026.”
Founded in Stoke-on-Trent in 1926, Wrights said the launches form part of a wider centenary programme that includes retail estate investment, store expansion and community initiatives.