Is this mould?

[Caramelmusk]

My DP got a sausage roll from a cafe earlier on lunch break. He went back and said it was mouldy. This said it wasn’t mould. What do you think)

what did they say it was then? certainly looks like mould, but the photo isn't great quality

If it was fresh then it couldn’t be mould, depends if they knew it was definitely fresh I suppose. Hard to tell from that pic, it looks very flat, not typically furry which food mould tends to be, especially if it’s that big.

That pastry look practically raw though!

Well it certainly looks grim

That definitely looks like mould to me—especially if it’s greenish or has a fuzzy texture. I’ve seen it happen when sausage rolls are kept warm too long or stored in humid conditions. Even if the outside looks okay, the meat inside can spoil.
Cafes sometimes say it’s “just herbs” or “oxidation,” but if it smells off or looks like it’s growing, I’d trust your instincts. I’ve been using a visual scoring tool to assess mould risk in homes, but food’s a whole different beast—if in doubt, bin it. Hope your DP’s okay, and good on him for going back to challenge it.

Looks like mould to me and the stodgy pastry is very anaemic - it looks like interior hasn't been cooked properly. I think it might be a food hate crime.