Greggs fans were in for a special treat on Wednesday evening as Channel 5 aired a documentary dedicated to uncovering the secrets behind the Tyneside bakery chain's success.
Greggs: Secrets of Their Best Bakes saw Grace Dent head to Newcastle for exclusive access inside the Greggs Headquarters, where she was treated to a tour behind the scenes to see where the magic happens. And the show gave viewers a fascinating glimpse into what goes into creating the perfect bake - right down to the dream job of taste-testing.
Since founder John Gregg opened the first ever Greggs in Gosforth back in 1939 it has become an iconic part of the UK as well as the North East, now boasting well over 2,000 stores across the country. And 84 years later, the bakery continues to keep its recipes tightly under wraps, as the Channel 5 documentary revealed.
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During her trip to Greggs Headquarters, Grace was informed that the signature seasoning that goes into the bakery's iconic sausage rolls is so top-secret that even staff members making them in the factory aren't told exactly what it contains. "The more questions I ask, the more questions I have - it's just an enigma within a mystery!" the presenter quipped to the tight-lipped Greggs staff.
Supply chain quality manager Errol Eland and process operations manager Sukina Coyle also refused to be drawn on exactly what makes a Greggs chicken bake so creamy. After professional chefs had a go at reconstructing the popular bake earlier in the episode, they were left debating over whether or not cheese went into the sauce.
Sukina explained that a mixing technique called high-shearing helps to create the chicken bake's unique sauce blend. But after the Greggs experts denied that there was any cheese involved in the making of the bake, the pair wouldn't answer when Grace grilled them on whether some other form of cheese flavouring was involved in the process.
But the experts did give away some insights into the precise methods that help to make the bakes so tasty. When it comes to the sausage roll, for example, the delicious flaky pastry is put together with 96 individual layers - no more, no less. "If there were 99 layers, would it feel a little bit heavier?" Grace joked.
Quality manager Errol responded: "I think you would actually see the difference, because you would start to see some bakes opening up at the side or cracking on the top as well."
Meanwhile, viewers at home loved learning more about their favourite bakes. "This is the greatest ever programme! A whole programme about the Greggs chicken bake. Thank you," one person wrote on Twitter.
Someone else added: "Thanks Channel 5, craving sausage rolls again now and genuinely considering driving 20 miles to the nearest Greggs."
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