Inside Greggs - sausage roll change, religious controversy and baker codes
If you stroll past Greggs at lunchtime, it's likely you'll see a queue snaking out of the door, with hungry shoppers keen to get their hands on an 85p jam doughnut or classic sausage roll.
Launched in 1939 by Newcastle baker John Gregg in Gosforth, the nationwide chain has become a firm favourite with Brits for reasonably priced hot or cold treats on the go.
Now, there are more than 2,000 stores around the UK and over 70 different items on the menu, catering to vegans, young kids and snackers craving sweet or savoury.
On Channel 5's new series, Inside Greggs: 24/7, which airs at 8pm tonight, fans are getting a sneak peek inside the factory and makings of the new product ranges with the CEO.
Surprise vegan change
It turns out the vegan sausage roll wasn't meant to stick around past Veganuary 2019 (Getty Images)The second episode of the show tonight looks at the famous vegan sausage roll and how it became a staple on the chain's menu. Speaking to food critic Grace Dent, Greggs CEO Roisin Currie admits that the pastry's success surprised them.
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"Now interestingly when we launched that product, our expectation is it would be a rotational product," she explained. "Which means it would probably be in the shop for about 16 weeks and the sales wouldn't reach the level to be, you know, maintained as a regular product.
"We'd take it off sale and we'd bring it back at a future point in time." But to everyone's surprise, the vegan bakes flew off the shelves at the beginning of 2019 and they decided the Veganuary trial could stick around.
Secret pastry markings
There are some things Greggs will never give away, like the sausage roll seasoning mix - that remains a closely guarded secret. Not even the workers on the production line are allowed to know precisely what's in it. And the white sauce of the chicken bake is souffled using a 'high shearing' technique, which could never be replicated at home.
But, the unique markings on the top of the pastries aren't so confidential. The steak bake features diagonal slashes, while the chicken bake has wavy lines. Arrows denote a cheese and onion bake, and the sausage and baked bean melt boasts horizontal slashes across its width.
One look at the markings on the pastry will tell bakers exactly which filling is inside (AFP via Getty Images)Lastly, the beef and vegetable pasty has a 'humptiback' - Geordie slang for the pinched frills along the arched top of the treat. The secret markings aren't just for coding the products: they actually allow some steam to escape in the oven to keep the pastry moist but not soggy.
"You're looking for some breakage in the pastry but as you can see they're evenly spaced for even lift on the product. It's always science," Sukina Coyle, Regional Process Development Manager, told the Mirror. And there's no egg wash used; instead, a glaze is applied to show the "highlights and lowlights" of the roll.
"Every time you're eating that pastry, you're biting into 96 individual layers of flakey pastry, and that's what contributes to this flakiness in terms of the textures you experience each time," explains Supply Chain Quality Manager Errol Eland. A single layer more than 96 and you'd start to see cracking at the sides.
Piers Morgan controversy
Piers Morgan is famously a hater of Greggs' vegan sausage rolls - but not all agree (ITV)Back in 2019, TV presenter Piers Morgan started a very public row with the company after they announced they were launching a vegan sausage roll. On Twitter, Morgan accused the company of being run by "PC-ravaged clowns", to which the company jokily replied: "Oh hello Piers, we've been expecting you."
On Good Morning Britain, he took part in a taste test - where he branded it "disgusting" and spat it into the bin. He then asked: "Why would anyone eat this?" And it seems he hasn't relented since - as he shared a snap of his 'worst' Christmas present in December - a bauble shaped like a vegan sausage roll. Meanwhile, the company says the Quorn-and-puff pastry offering is now one of its top ten most popular items. We'd say Greggs won that one.
Religious sausage roll row
The chain issued an apology after offense was taken over their controversial Christmas ad (PA)In 2017, Greggs apologised after replacing Jesus with a sausage roll in a nativity advertisement. The image - designed to advertise its advent calendar - featured an image of three wise men watching a sausage roll in a manger. Another image featured Father Christmas eating a classic sausage roll, with crumbs of pastry in his beard.
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Its decision sparked criticism from The Rev Mark Edwards, of Tyne & Wear, who said it showed "a total disregard and disrespect of one of the greatest stories ever told". "It goes beyond just commercialism, it's showing a total disregard and disrespect towards one of the greatest stories ever told, and I think people of all faiths will be offended by this," he added. Greggs said it was "sorry to have caused any offence", adding that it wasn't their intention.
Inside Greggs: 24/7 Series One Episode Two is on Channel 5 at 8pm tonight on Friday 21 July.
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