IT’S fair to say we like our baked goods in this neck of the woods. When the story broke last week that Greggs had launched a vegan sausage roll, there was something of a frenzy in the office, prompting colleagues to embark on a mission to the Silverburn branch of the bakery emporium in order to investigate.
Not since Krispy Kreme threw open its doors in Glasgow and sent the office several boxes of complimentary donuts has there been such a stir on the editorial floor. Free food is second only to free drink when it comes to getting a bunch of journos excited. That and breaking news that isn’t Brexit-related.
Who knew the world was waiting with such anticipation for this culinary delight to be unveiled – or maybe it was because it was a quiet news day in early January – but social media was afroth with the revelation.
Opinion, however, was dramatically divided, as only opinion can be where pastry products are concerned. The controversial row really heated up when TV presenter Piers Morgan,usually so tolerant, was moved to join the Greggsgate fray. “Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns,” he wrote on Twitter. He later complained of receiving “howling abuse from vegans”, adding: “I get it, you’re all hangry. I would be too if I only ate plants and gruel.”
Another Twitter user said: “I really struggle to believe that 20,000 vegans are that desperate to eat in a Greggs.”
However, there was plenty of support, too, for the new product.
TV writer Brydie Lee-Kennedy called herself “very pro the Greggs vegan sausage roll because anything that wrenches veganism back from the ‘clean eating’ wellness folk is a good thing”.
And cook and food poverty campaigner Jack Monroe declared she was “frantically googling to see what time my nearest opens tomorrow morning because I will be outside”.
So it seems the Greggs vegan sausage roll is something of the Marmite of pastry produce.
In a bid to calm the furore, the bakery chain told concerned customers that “change is good” and that there would “always be a classic sausage roll”, saying they had seen “increasing demand for vegetarian and vegan products”.
And the verdict of the connoisseurs in the office (some of whom are even real vegans)? Opinion ranged from “decent” and “a bit salty” to “it would gie you the boak”.
The storm came on the same day McDonald’s launched its first vegetarian Happy Meal aimed at children. The new version comes with a “veggie wrap” instead of the usual chicken or beef option. We are yet to find out if five-year-olds are up in arms about this. The Sunday National will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, respect to the marketing team at Greggs, who certainly know how to generate publicity.
Rumours are unconfirmed that the Tories are approaching them in a bid to get some positive PR for Brexit. Apt for a government so flaky and full of mince.
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