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When Greggs released the vegan sausage roll back in 2019, it took the country by storm. Before long, the company was surfing a wave of both widespread intrigue in how the new pastry-based snack would go down and of weird red-faced anger on the part of a thankfully fragile few who saw the whole “woke” episode as heralding the end of days

Either way, the vegan sausage roll was a hit, with the Quorn-based flaky wonder flying off shelves up and down the country as punters queued to get their laughing gear around the newest must-gobble fast food commodity. Five years on, and Greggs vegan offering have expanded exponentially, which brings us to the vegan festive bake.

Having never had a regular festive bake, let alone a vegan version, I classed myself as something of a Greggs Christmas novice before recently getting my grubby mitts on both versions of this winter season’s hottest festive snack. And all I can say is that, two sausage rolls later, I believe I’m in as good a position as any to offer a vegan vs meat comparison.

First thing to focus on is the pastry - the meat version featured a lovely seasoned crumb on top, which added plenty of flavour and just an edge of depth to each bite, while the vegan version was distinctly basic in comparison. Why the crumb had to be omitted from I’m not sure - maybe it had pigs’ trotters in it or something.

Greggs festive bake off - meat vs vegan | National World

Chomping down onto each festive bake with no shortage of hesitancy (Greggs steak bakes have been recorded as having internal temperatures akin to that of the surface of the sun), I took stock. The taste off the bat was solid if somewhat dominated by the sage and onion stuffing. But some creamy chicken and sweet, sweet cranberry soon poked through.

As for the vegan option, those similar flavours were still there - the sage and onion stuffing was hard at the front of the list of lip-smaking tastes, followed by the slightly more herby Quorn chicken and the odd bit of cranberry sauce. It tasted like the meat festive bake’s younger, less impressive sibling - like a festive bake you ordered off Wish.

Sure, I can definitely see why vegan fans of Greggs who are trying their hardest to avoid the rich gravy of their steak bakes, the peppery pork of their sausage rolls, and the discs of pepperoni sitting atop thick slices of pizza would like the vegan steak bake. But, for me, with a version of each iteration in my hand, I found it hard not to be underwhelmed.

Then again, others may disagree - the slightly muted flavours and the fact that the vegan version contains about 50 calories fewer than the genuine number may sway them. But not me, Clive. I’m sticking with the real thing.

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