If you're from the North East of England, you've probably heard of Greggs.
Over eighty years ago, northerner John Gregg came up with a mission of delivering fresh eggs and yeast to the families of Newcastle, with many dubbing him Greggs on legs. Ten years later, he started up a bakery on Gosforth High Street - making, baking and selling fresh treats for the local community to enjoy.
Over the years, Gregg branched out and opened up stores all across the country, after finding success with his staple sausage roll. The product itself is now considered a 'must have' classic at Greggs across the United Kingdom - with a hard to beat recipe like no other.
Read more: I visited all 31 Greggs in Newcastle in a single day and it took nearly 11 hours
I do often wonder to myself though, is the sausage roll as good as it's made out to be, or is it just overhyped by patriotic Geordies, Mackems and Sand Dancers alike? So this week, I went out and bought a load of pastry goods from other similar retailers - comparing them to the classic Greggs as a baseline, and finding out if they were any better.
Here's what I found...
Greggs sausage roll - £1.10
I can honestly hand on heart say that I've never had a bad sausage roll from Greggs - apart from when my nana would microwave them for us when we visited after school. The pastry goes a weird texture and it tastes awful, but I never had the heart to tell her.
Hot or cold, you really can't go wrong. The pastry is a beautiful golden-brown, light and flaky and provides a brilliant texture to the palate. They're of course messy to eat due to particles of the crust flying here, there and everywhere, but it's a small price to pay.
The sausage meat itself which is encompassed by the outer shell has a truly unique taste, which I can't say I've ever found anywhere else. Perfectly seasoned, not a speckle of gristle in sight, and just really pleasant to consume.
The price point on these beauties is also a real bargain. Standing at £1.10 each, you can also get four for the price of three in a multi-buy deal - which is ideal if you and a pal are feeling especially hungry.
Score: An easy 5 stars out of 5.
Greggs vegan sausage roll - £1.10
The chiefs at Greggs launched the vegan sausage roll in 2019 - in a bid to accommodate for non meat or dairy eaters as the movement was growing rapidly. The idea behind them was fantastic to be fair, aiming to make a carbon copy of the classic Greggs staple, friendly to all no matter their dietary requirements.
The execution however, was far from successful.
I'm not one of these people who complains for the sake of complaining, and I've had the vegan option a couple of times in the past to see if it was as bad as everyone was making out. I remember watching Piers Morgan take a bite out of one live on Good Morning Britain, before dramatically spitting it out and reportedly throwing up.
In reality, it's not as bad as it has been made out to be. Sure, the 'sausage' component tastes a little funky compared, given that it's not meat, and the pastry is a little claggier and much less flaky - but that's probably due to the fact that there's no lard or butter involved.
But overall, I would probably scran again. It's not as great as the original product, but it will definitely do for those enjoy meat and dairy alternatives. And it's still nowhere near as terrible as the frozen version you can bake at home.
Score: 3 stars out of 5 - not bad, not great.
Dicksons sausage roll - £1.25
Slightly pricier than the Greggs sausage roll is the version that local butchers and bakers Dicksons put out. It looks much dissimilar to the classic version too, with a lack of air slats on the top.
With that being said though, the pastry and overall appearance is tidy. Golden-brown in colour and a reasonable size, the product has a real edge about it. It's hard to explain but taste and texture wise it's so different to Greggs - not that that's a bad thing in this instance though.
Although the pastry is a touch heavier than I would appreciate it, the meat filling makes up for it. It's seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs fantastically, and similarly to Greggs, it's a good quality of meat. I'll definitely be heading back to Dicksons to grab another in the future.
Score: 4 stars out of 5.
Costa Coffee sausage roll (by Marks and Spencer) - £3.10
Costa Coffee is sometimes nicknamed Cost-a-fortune by critics and I finally understand why. Although you might feel you're getting the full £3.10's worth with its luxurious packaging and massive size and stature - it fails completely on taste and texture.
I was very excited to try this mammoth roll, which is visually very different to all of the others on this list. It looks the real mccoy - like something you would find in a gastro pub or fancy bistro. The meat poking through the sides looks delightful, and the puff pastry is cooked to perfection.
But the taste side of things leaves you with no fulfilment whatsoever. I was only able to stomach one bite of my Costa sausage roll, before feeding the rest to my dog. The whole product just tastes way off, from top to bottom. The texture is full of gristle too, which let's face facts, nobody in their right mind wants.
Marketed as 'our best ever', I think it's best left on the shelf. At least Beau enjoyed it....
Score: 2 stars out of 5 for presentation alone.
Ginsters sausage roll - £1.30
It's the favourite of midnight revellers visiting their local garage for a mid-session snack, as well as workers on the go who need a fast lunch. Ginsters is a real all rounder at face value. Although their 'large' sausage roll usually comes with a price tag of £1.30 in supermarkets, don't be surprised if you're expected to fork over £2.50 plus at your local overnight garage.
The packaging and appearance is the real deal - although the pastry does look a little washed out and pale. Apart from that, the sausage meat poking through each end is a good colour and has a decent smell to it, and there are an abundance of air slats on the top allowing the meat to be cooked properly.
In a brief summary, there's something unique about the Ginsters sausage roll that you won't find at Greggs, Dicksons or Costa. It's hard to identify, but it has a real meaty flavour with a hint of salt to it. The pastry is a bit claggy though, and kind of overpowers everything else.
Not as nice as Greggs or Dicksons, but not as bad as Costa's.
Score: 3 stars out of 5.
Read next:
Mum asks if it is OK for children to miss school to enjoy sunny day at beach
Mum 'furious' as daughter left waiting alone for an hour by side of road after school
Passenger's 'despair' after parents unable to control their kids on four flights
Mum asks if it's okay to charge 'disrespectful' teenage daughter rent to live at home
Woman sparks heated debate after mum stops her from reclining seat on flight
