Latest news with #SteakBake
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Brits 'triggered' after American tries Greggs for the first time
An American man named Russel tried a selection of Greggs' baked goods for the first time, but his review of the items left many Brits 'triggered' Greggs, the much-loved bakery chain that's a staple among Brits for its easy-on-the-pocket offerings and range of classic comfort food – not to forget the famed sausage roll – has found its way into many a traveller's must-visit list, especially tourists hitting UK shores eager to sample its renowned delights. When an American, Russell, wanted to tick off classic British foods from his checklist, he sampled meal deals from numerous supermarkets before his trip to Greggs sparked quite the online debate amongst Brits. Going by @redbusruss on TikTok, Russell ventured into Greggs to pick up a Cheese and Onion Bake, Chicken Bake, Steak Bake, and the beloved Sausage Roll. However, what really 'triggered' Brits was Russell's use of the word bread instead of pastry. Sampling the Cheese and Onion Bake, Russell extolled its "nice, creamy filling" and applauded the so-called "bread" for being "nice and flaky", declaring, "I really enjoyed that, it was decently filling," and gave it a solid seven out of ten. On to the Chicken Bake, he drew parallels with a "good chicken pot pie", commending "The flakiness of the bread and the creamy chicken filling is really satisfying". His only gripe was that he wished there were more chicken pieces inside. Wrapping up his culinary review, Russ concluded: "Overall it's not a bad bake. It's ok, I would say," dishing out a six out of ten. Russell seemed pleasantly surprised with the Steak Bake, saying it was "really not bad" and was impressed by the generous amount of "actual steak" within, likening it to "It's like a good steak and gravy dinner inside a flaky pastry,". His verdict? A solid 7.5 out of 10 was in order. On the flip side, the famous Sausage Roll didn't quite hit the same heights for him. Despite being the "most spoken about" item he's encountered and seeing why people "like them", he said it failed to blow him away. Even so, he said it was "decently seasoned," and enjoyable to eat. He gave it a seven out of 10 score. Russell's candid takes sparked lively banter among followers in the comments. One user humorously pointed out: "Calling it bread is triggering me, but I'll let it slide because you are one of the few people to give a good, honest review lmao." Another chimed in disbelievingly: "BREAD!??? I work for Greggs mate and it is not bread," and a third echoed the sentiment, stressing, "It's not bread dude: it's pastry." While some reactions were tinged with humour: "7.5 for a steak bake is scandalous," others were playfully disputatious, arguing: "Chicken bake is stupendous." One commenter even jestingly remarked: "How can you score below 10? it's Greggs!". One cheeky remark questioned Russell's taste critique abilities: "Steak bake getting only a 7.5 makes me seriously consider your judgement. Absolutely no respect". As passionate discussions about the ratings took place, there were also suggestions urging him to try the Sausage, Bean and Cheese Melt for the ultimate Greggs experience, culminating with another follower chiming in with a warm, "Glad you enjoyed them".
South Wales Argus
23-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Relocated Greggs opens in Pontypool after NHS objection
The popular chain, that describes itself as 'the UK's leading bakery food-on-the-go retailer' revealed plans to move into a vacant shop next to its existing store on George Street in the centre of Pontypool late last year. It confirmed the store has opened on Friday, May 23. Gwent's Aneurin Bevan University Health Board attempted to thwart the expansion by objecting to the firm's application to change the use class of the building at 13 to 15 George Street which is thought was last occupied by Superdrug. The objections were however ruled out by Torfaen Borough Council's planning department which said relocation of the store wouldn't mean there are too many food and drink outlets and neither would its selection of savoury goods such as the Steak Bake and sweat treats harm the 'vitality' of the town centre. Planning officer Tom Braithwaite said the type of goods sold couldn't determine the application as it was for mixed retail and food and drink uses so could be operated by any business in those use classes. His report stated: 'The nature of the occupier and the goods that they sell in this instance cannot prejudice the favourable determination of this application, and on balance does not warrant refusal of the scheme presented.' The health board also said the shop would be close to schools but Mr Braithwaite said there is limited power to address concern about fast food outlets being close to schools. The new larger store in George Street, that also has indoor seating, will open from 6.30am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 6pm on Sundays and the chain said it has created one additional job. Greggs had 12 staff at its previous shop on George Street. Gillian Long, retail operations director for Greggs, said: 'We're excited to be welcoming customers to our new and improved shop in Pontypool, with one new member joining the existing team. We look forward to providing customers with a modern, convenient new place to experience their Greggs favourites.' When it submitted its planning application the firm stated 40 per cent of its range of products, in 2023, were 'healthier options' that contain fewer than 400 calories and with no red traffic lights, based on the UK Government's voluntary nutrition labelling scheme.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Should Greggs put security tags on its sausage rolls?
The wildly successful high-street bakery Greggs – whose Steak Bakes are a national institution, and whose new Mac & Cheese has already become a TikTok sensation – has finally had its fill of petty thieving. Having become known as something of a shoplifters paradise, it is to crack down on the snatch-and-grab pilferers. Such has been the increase in shoplifting throughout its 2,600-plus stores that head office has decreed that some of its on-the-go sandwich ranges are to be moved from self-serve fridges and into glass-screened units behind the counter. In order to get a ham baguette on some shops, customers will have to ask a server. Five stores located in 'shoplifting hotspots' – which include Whitechapel, in east London – will trial the new shop format, to see if it has a meaningful impact on what the company describes as 'anti-social behaviour', but which others might prefer to call 'criminal activity'. It's a small start, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it extended throughout the chain – and even to other food retailers. Shoplifting has become one of Britain's growth industries. According to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) annual crime survey, there were more than 20m incidents of theft in 2024, up from 16m in the previous year's edition. And sometimes it seems everybody's doing it. Earlier this month, security experts reported a massive increase in thefts by pensioners, estimated that 5 per cent of all those caught shoplifting by staff on a weekly basis were aged over 50. Even a cursory glance at the numerous video clips posted by law-abiding Greggs customers on social media hint at the scale of the problem: construction workers in hi-viz with their sandwich meal-deals, blithely walking out without paying, gangs of teenagers making off with arm-fulls of sandwiches. One of the problems cited by retailers is that thefts from food stores such as Greggs are low-risk and low-impact (on the thief). Prevention measures, such as theft-proofed store layouts security tagging and other such measures, will clearly help. But changing that also requires that the police take the issue seriously – not easy, when the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act itself classifies circumstances where the value of stolen goods does not exceed £200 as 'low-value shoplifting' and thus of far less interest to the authorities. In the same way staff on the London Underground are advised by managers not to physically stop or detain fare-dodgers, shop workers are dissuaded from preventing thefts from happening over fear of reprisals and the bodily harm they may incur from stepping in. That said, one Greggs outlet in south London saw thefts reduce when its soft drinks cabinet was secured with a bike lock. Stealing sandwiches is far from a victimless crime. In fact, the chief victims of lunch thieving are Britain's poor. Retail is a low-margin business. To mitigate against the scale of the thieving at Greggs, prices are now going up accordingly – in what has inevitably been dubbed a new 'pasty tax'. Those who would benefit most from lower prices are those on low to modest incomes, for whom the food bill and other essentials eat up a disproportionate amount of the household budget. Shoplifting is less a crime of the poor than it is a pox on them. It is yet more evidence of 'broken Britain'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't reducing anti-social behaviour was one of the 'six key promises' on which Keir Starmer set out his stall during the election campaign? If Labour's priorities are social justice (don't laugh) and helping 'working people' (whatever that means), it should act to keep down the price of a Greggs pasty.
