Sneaking suspicion that Gregg's have done it again!

[ALongHardWinter]

OK,first world problem,I admit. But has anyone noticed that their local Gregg's haven't had any vegetable bakes over the last week? Since the introduction of the new vegan steak bake on the 2nd of January,my local branch has not had any (vegetable bakes,that is). Whether the two are connected or it's just coincidence,I don't know. The same thing happened when they brought out their vegan sausage roll some months back. The vegetable bake disappeared for a few months,reappearing again about 4 months later. Now the same thing has happened again. I keep being told that 'they weren't sent any in the delivery' when I asked if they'd stopped doing them. But I was told the same thing regarding it's disappearance when the vegan sausage roll appeared. Has anyone else experienced this?

I confess I've never set foot in a Greggs, but them giving £300 bonus to their workers was such a bit of nice news, that I might venture in there and try their vegan sausage roll Such lovely, happy news in an otherwise shit-news New Year. A company actually passing some of the profits onto it's employees.

I think veggie options are vanishing everywhere. I’m a happy vege and don’t want to be a vegan!
Me too! angry

Me three... ish; I'm not actually a vegetarian because I don't avoid meat products in things, e.g. I happily use Worcestershire sauce or sweets containing gelatine, but I don't eat meat properly and I like a lot of vegetarian alternatives. I don't want to feel pushed into having to choose either a meaty product or a fake dairy thing that, in my opinion, tastes awful. It's happening bloody everywhere!

I think veggie options are vanishing everywhere. I’m a happy vege and don’t want to be a vegan!
Me too! angry

I'm not here but have noticed this everywhere. Things that are usually vegetarian like cakes/desserts were replaced in our work canteen with vegan ones, it was awful, the vegan options were sickly sweet to hide the lack of butter and egg. Plus vegan food of this sort often relies heavily on processed ingredients & additives, yuck!

I'm vegetarian - don't want to be vegan. Agree that vegan and gluten free are becoming the non-meat choice. I was going to say that it's creeping in everywhere, but it's more like it's galloping in!

Everyone - Do vote with your feet. I'm not a veggie but like many people i regularly choose a non meat option, however while the veggie options were often delicious I find the vegan options are regularly far less palatable so everyone is suffering from the reduction in choice

Funny how it’s apparently all about moving to a healthier diet and yet it’s vegetarians who are having their options removed from shops and restaurants, not meat eaters.

I don't think I've ever seen a veggie bake in the wild. Only in Iceland freezers. Its like the corned beef bakes, can't remember the last time I saw them in an actual Greggs.

scrivette I had an apple danish with cream yesterday. So still around. In South London anyway.

The Costa veggie pots are egg free here because of the large number of Asian vegetarians who don't eat eggs (pure veg), most the subways are halal too ... they adapt to the local market. Upside is that all the supermarkets sell bulk coriander cheap etc

Im gluten intolerant I can eat more veggie food than vegan this doesn't bode well for me eating out

Argh I hate the vegan trend for this reason only, insteadnof nice vegetable/eggs/cheese dishes we now have vegan «fake meat, fake cheese » dishes 😡

I'm sitting in Costa right now, having enjoyed the new 'Protein Meal Pot'. According to the manager, who I have just been grilling, it's a new January offering, even though it is remarkably similar to the old veggie pot. He is threatening to stop selling them if not enough people buy them...

most the subways are halal too

Approx 1 in 10 subways is halal. That's not most.

I think she was talking about the Subways in her areas, like the Costas.

Subway have done the same, replaced the vegetarian patty with the vegan one, vegan one tastes rubbish.
We don't have a Greggs, or any chain restaurant in my county 😭 oh how I miss a burger king and a Costa! and subway until they got rid of veggie patty

This is a PITA. This assumption that veggies and vegans like fake meat and that it can replace vegetable/pulse favourites.

Many of us hate fake meat - the taste, the texture, the concept. It's assumed we want faux steak or sausage. Foods I've not eaten for 30 years (and didn't even like or feel comfortable eating back when I was a child and ate meat).

Can't there be room for both versions? There are numerous meat options.

I commented to DH the other day that 2020 seems to be the year of fake meat for veggie/ vegan options. It's a pain as places that used to do half decent vegetable stews/ curries as their veggie/ vegan option have decided that instead I want to eat a quorn burger with fake cheese instead

As an aside, I tried the McDonalds vegan McNuggets last week- well, I took a couple of bites - disgusting.

About 20 years ago McDonalds did a limited run of vegetable nuggets (vegetarian I presume). These were delicious. Naturally, they were limited edition (so frustrating) and only around for a short while, despite there being dozens of meat alternatives.

I don't know about this specific case but I do know that it is a farily common tactic when establishments bring in a new product they cut back on a "similar" to drive the sales of the new product (as a pp said "oh well I am here so I will just take that instead" and then they can report "our new steak bakes have sold well here is the large figure" It also looks good when it is a "trend" food (not saying veganism is a trend for all but with thie veganuary etc it is currently a "trend" if that makes sense so it looks good on them

As I said don't know if this is the case here but it is a technique used

ps another very little meat eater frustrated that veggie options turning to fake cheese etc yuk!

Cheese and onion is perfectly ok! I just eat it too much in other things (cheese and onion sandwiches are about my only option at work). I don’t always want one, and it’s the only thing in my local Greggs that isn’t meat substitute!

They had them in today when I nipped in.

Although to be honest I am amazed they still make them when I worked there many moons ago they where by far the worst seller with only 2 or 3 being sold most days

From Ally Fogg onTwitter

Just asked my Greggs inside informant if everyone is chuffed about their ~£300 bonus?

"Not really. Most of us are on Universal Credit. We'll get the bonus end of Jan & it will be taken out of our UC payments in March. They've basically just handed £7m back to the govt."

I’m always disappointed when I go to Cornwall with my Cornish husband that I can’t get a Greggs pasty.
All the ones I’ve had from down there from both chains and independents are horrible and the pastry too thick for my liking.
My SIL had Cornish pasties, cheese and onion and a vegan ones for her evening food at her wedding, I got a pizza on the way home.
My husband is disgusted at my pasty choosing abilities and blames it on my Northerness.
Hides from the angry Cornish folk

I hope they aren't gone for good as I really like the vegetable bake and I'm a meat eater, I like the spicy sauce. I'll just go back to eating meat ones but i would just have a normal sausage roll or steak bake I wouldn't have the fake ones. I like vegetables and don't need to eat meat with everything just because, but i don't see the point in stuff being mushed and moulded so it can pretend to be meat.

They seem to think all veggies want is either a Vegan option (Nope, I love dairy!!) or to eat just vegetables 😕

Same as most restaurants!

Same as most veggie options on Hello Fresh or Gousto.

It's really frustrating.

Pret a manager try harder, but that's twice I've got a wrap from there and had the worst stomach ache after!