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Original poster

Greggs - is it just me?

117 replies

Yass6 · 02/12/2025 16:18

Or is it really over-rated? I’ve given up now, as every time I get a pastry it is lukewarm at best. The bacon rolls used to be nice but the bread is so floury now and I really don’t get the appeal over the sausage rolls.

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ihavespoken · 04/12/2025 11:41

WonderfulSmith · 03/12/2025 19:11

Sorry, all the ones I’ve ever been in don’t sell bread. Perhaps it’s only larger stores.

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It might be regional - some very small stores near me (NE England) sell it.

WonderfulSmith · 03/12/2025 19:11

ihavespoken · 03/12/2025 15:06

Haven't RTFT so apologies if everyone has jumped on this but they do sell bread.
Their white sliced loaf is amazing

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Sorry, all the ones I’ve ever been in don’t sell bread. Perhaps it’s only larger stores.

Nopenott0day · 03/12/2025 19:08

Wright's is better.

ItalianChineseIndianMexican · 03/12/2025 16:33

Agree with you OP.
Cold, greasy, (mainly) unhealthy crap.

ThatCoolGoose · 03/12/2025 15:55

No .it was his brother who was a child support officer with a council.i went to trial out of interest in newcastle.very odd person.used to "allow" children to sit on his lap when driving from Newcastle to Bilingham to go ice skating.!!!

LeaderBee · 03/12/2025 15:54

It was years ago now, but I once went into a Greggs and asked for a ham and cheese melt. They tried to gaslight me into believing they never sold them, when I knew damn well it was my favourite pastry they did at the time (They certainly don't sell them anymore though)

ThatCoolGoose · 03/12/2025 15:49

If kept hot VAT Is paid.
£1.30 would become with 20 per cent VAT £1.56.
Would you pay that?

snoopythebeagle · 03/12/2025 15:32

ihavespoken · 03/12/2025 15:15

No, we pay the VAT. Greggs just collect it from us. It doesn't cost them anything or reduce their profits.

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But it does mean they'd have to increase their prices and presumably they have reasons for not wanting to do that.

ihavespoken · 03/12/2025 15:15

PigeonsandSquirrels · 03/12/2025 15:12

Yes and VAT is tax… that they have to pay by putting prices up like I said.

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No, we pay the VAT. Greggs just collect it from us. It doesn't cost them anything or reduce their profits.

PigeonsandSquirrels · 03/12/2025 15:12

ihavespoken · 03/12/2025 15:11

No, they'd have to charge VAT to the customer. VAT isn't a cost to Greggs, they just collect it from customers on behalf of HMRC.
It's not a tax dodge, it's keeping their prices down.

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Yes and VAT is tax… that they have to pay by putting prices up like I said.

ihavespoken · 03/12/2025 15:11

PigeonsandSquirrels · 02/12/2025 21:37

They are allowed to keep hot things hot, they’d just have to pay more tax. So they’d rather keep the price down and not sell hot food.

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No, they'd have to charge VAT to the customer. VAT isn't a cost to Greggs, they just collect it from customers on behalf of HMRC.
It's not a tax dodge, it's keeping their prices down.

TheDandyLion · 03/12/2025 15:07

Joeninety · 02/12/2025 21:29

A hot food outlet that has to wait until their products are cold before they can sell them, without attracting extra taxes.........................This manky country in a nutshell now ?!

The hot food tax has been in our manky country since 2012.

ihavespoken · 03/12/2025 15:06

WonderfulSmith · 02/12/2025 17:35

I don’t get the love either. They have a habit of opening up near independent bakers and driving them out of business. And how are they a bakers, they don't sell bread?

Haven't RTFT so apologies if everyone has jumped on this but they do sell bread.
Their white sliced loaf is amazing

mondaytosunday · 03/12/2025 14:57

I’ve only recently discovered Greggs. I’ve always avoided it as filler food full of fat but I was visiting my DD at uni and experienced a bad low (I have type 1 diabetes) and popped in to get something sweet. I got a donut and was transported! I had no idea they had yummy food. I have tried something savoury since and it definitely hits a part of you that one wishes didn’t exist - that craving for greasy fat laden salty dirty food. Is is worse than it was? No idea. But I can see why it has its place as a British institution.

BankfieldForever · 02/12/2025 23:07

I used to really like the vegetable bake (the one with peas, carrots, green beans and onions in white sauce) but haven’t been in a Greggs in about 25 years..do they still do them?

HoskinsChoice · 02/12/2025 22:56

Greggs mince pies are outstanding!

Howmanycatsistoomany · 02/12/2025 22:51

I used to love their cheese and onion pasties but about 10? years ago they changed the recipe (maybe a different type of cheese?) - still good but nowhere near as good.

DorisTheFinkasaurus · 02/12/2025 22:46

Oh I love a chicken bake/sausage roll/Tottenham cake (still served in London)! I won't say a bad word about Greggs. And I guess the ones I go to are very busy so the hot food doesn't sit around long enough to go cold.

Topseyt123 · 02/12/2025 22:29

I absolutely love their vegan sausage rolls. I'm not even vegan, though I am vegetarian.

Moaning5 · 02/12/2025 22:27

I love the cheese pizzas - not like a proper pizza, more like a school pizza from the 90’s - weird but yummy !

I always wondered why everything was cold - now I know !

Empress13 · 02/12/2025 22:27

Their sausage rolls are greasy loveliness 😜

AutumnLeavesFallingFast · 02/12/2025 22:26

HRTQueen · 02/12/2025 21:52

they were very warm it’s a busy Greggs (I don’t know a Greg’s that isn’t busy) mayeb that’s the difference

I had no idea that they didn’t serve hot food as everything I’ve bought has always been at least warm unless not meant to be

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Our one 'bakes' them very early in the morning, then they sit there getting colder & colder.

ours is pretty busy, but I'm guessing lots of nest eaters, so get topped up?!

it's good really because I then don't buy/eat them 🤣

tinytemper66 · 02/12/2025 22:05

Corned beef pasties are lush.

CalmShaker · 02/12/2025 22:00

I used to enjoy the odd bacon bap from them but I noticed the staff never wash their hands/wear gloves and go from opening the roll to the till to handling loose change. It's not very nice. Parsons Bakery much better

HRTQueen · 02/12/2025 21:52

AutumnLeavesFallingFast · 02/12/2025 21:38

It is good HOT.

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they were very warm it’s a busy Greggs (I don’t know a Greg’s that isn’t busy) mayeb that’s the difference

I had no idea that they didn’t serve hot food as everything I’ve bought has always been at least warm unless not meant to be

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