Why has Mothers Pride disappeared from supermarket shelves?

An iconic loaf of bread beloved for almost a century has disappeared from supermarket shelves after a packaging issue affected supply.

Scottish Plain loaves by Mothers Pride have reportedly not been seen in bread sections for around two weeks.

Suppliers Hovis have blamed a “manufacturing issue” – understood to mean slices of bread are sticking to the wax-coated paper the bread has been supplied in since it was first sold in 1936.

A spokesperson apologised for the shortage but said the loaf, which has a well-fired top and bottom but no crust at the sides, would be back on shelves in early June.

The bread was one of the best-selling loafs in the 1970s and 80s but the batch plant in Glasgow which makes Scottish Plain is now the last in the UK.

A spokesperson for Hovis said: “We are proud to have baked and supplied Mothers Pride Scottish Plain to the highest standard for many years and apologise for the current temporary disruption to supply.

“We want to reassure customers that Mothers Pride Scottish Plain will be back on shelves early in June.”