Festive Treats Come Fresh From The Oven

If you want to enjoy the very best delicacies this Christmas, Maclean’s Highland Bakery, an four-generation family business, have everything from Festive Mince Pies to luxury biscuits.

For many years the Maclean family were part of the Stag Bakery in Stornoway on the Western Isles, before moving to Forres in 1978 to take over the then-names Bakery James Thain. Using only the best, locally sourced, quality ingredients, Maclean’s Highland Bakery quickly gained a renowned reputation, and it wasn’t long before customers were literally queuing at the door to taste the fresh bakes just out the oven.

Since then, they’ve opened several successful shops throughout the region, as well as moving to a new facility in 2004 on the outskirts of Forres. Here’s their maker’s story.

“Maclean’s Highland Bakery is a family business spanning over four generations and more than 100 years. Over this time, many things have changed, but we continue to be passionate about using quality ingredients, sourced locally where possible and a traditional baking process, to ensure each product is packed with flavour and tastes delicious.

“Our modern bakery in Forres produces a wide range of traditional baked goods, including our range of morning rolls.

“We currently produce both branded and private label products for national as well as international markets, such as China, the USA, Japan, Denmark and Canada.

In 2021 we opened a new dedicated Allergen Free Bakery, excluding all 14 main allergens, and we are delighted to be launching our new range of Sweet Cookies this year – Chocolate Brownie Cookies and Lemon Zest Cookies. They are both made with the finest plant-based ingredients and are packed full of flavour.

“We are also introducing a new range of Spent Grain Crackers, which have been developed with fellow local brewery Windswept and Zero Waste Scotland. The Poppy & Pepper Spent Grain Crackers both utilise the cooked grains, which have served their purpose in the brewing process (hence the name ‘spent grain’) but they are still full of protein and fibre and have as subtly nutty flavour.”