FAKEY PASTRY
Greggs vegan sausage roll launches tomorrow and The Sun gets to taste it first
The sausage's roll's meat-free pastry has a Quorn filling instead of pork and it will cost £1
GREGGS is launching a vegan sausage roll for the first time tomorrow.
Fans are divided over the new meat-free and dairy-free pastry - and some say the filling shouldn't look so much like real sausage.
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Instead of meat, the flaky pastry has a Quorn filling.
The 96-layer puff pastry is the same used in its other treats as it doesn't contain butter or eggs.
But the new vegan roll isn't glazed with milk like its meaty counterparts are.
The vegan alternative will cost £1 - 5p more than the bakery chain's 95p pork-filled sausage rolls. Greggs said today that its sausage rolls were not included in its 5 per cent price rises yesterday.
The meat-free version of Greggs' most famous menu item comes after 20,000 people signed a PETA petition for an alternative to the classic pork snack last year. It was then trialled in a small number of stores.
Vegans are very excited, but die-hard Greggs fans on social media aren't sure about the new product.
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Many were confused by vegans wanting a product that looks so much like meat.
One asked on Facebook: "Why do vegans want meat-shaped food?"
Another said: "I couldn't care less what vegans eat.
"But what gets me is why do they make it look like meat items?"
Others said it shouldn't have "sausage" in the name if it doesn't contain any meat.
If you want to try the unusual new item, the vegan alternative will be on sale at 950 out of 1,850 Greggs shops.
What does the new vegan sausage roll taste like?
THE Sun had a sneak preview taste of the meat and dairy-free pastry. Here's what we thought:
The Sun was one of the first to try the new vegan sausage roll.
It arrived at Sun Towers in a white phone box that looks almost identical to the ones an iPhone comes in.
A sausage roll worth £1 might not be quite as exciting as buying a new phone, but Greggs clearly hopes it will create the same amount of buzz.
The pastry has the same golden colour as it does normally, and you wouldn't be able to tell that this is a meat-free product from just looking at it.
And even when you break into it, the filling is the same pale beige as cooked sausage meat.
But surely it can't taste of meat too?
Honestly - I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
The filling is soft and mild with a hint of pepper.
The pastry is flaky as you like too, and I actually think it might be better than what you get with the meaty sausage roll.
It maybe doesn't have the same depth of flavour as sausage meat, but if you'd told me there was actually pork inside, I'd have believed you.
There's a small price difference and it's not much healthier for you.
But if they run out of meaty sausage rolls, then you won't be hard done by if you pick the vegan option.
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The new treat isn't much healthier than the meaty version with 311 calories compared to 327 in a pork-filled sausage roll.
Greggs pastries usually have a glaze made from milk powder, which wouldn't be suitable for dairy-free vegans.
We've asked the bakery chain for more information about the ingredients of its vegan roll and we will update this story if we hear back.
Greggs sells 1.5million meaty sausage rolls every week in the UK.
Its vegan version will probably not sell as many but there are about 3.5million vegans living in the UK so it is technically possible.
The pastry has launched in time for Veganuary - an annual challenge where thousands of people go vegan for a month in January as a health boost.
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Roger Whiteside, chief executive at Greggs, said: "We have been trying to develop a Vegan version of our famous sausage roll for some time now.
"It has not been easy but our taste panel customers all love this one, so we have decided to launch it as our contribution to Veganuary."
You can find your nearest Greggs using its .
Meanwhile, Greggs fans are furious after the bakery chain hiked prices for the new year, with the price of a meal shooting up by 5 per cent.
And if you're on a January diet, you could actually lose weight by popping to Greggs everyday. .
Here's how eating nothing but food sold by Greggs can trim the waistline
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