Greggs have launched two new summer salads today that are both under 300 calories.
The options sit within the Greggs’ “Balanced Choice” range giving Greggs fans the option for a lighter lunch. The salads are ‘sweet potato bhaji and rice’ and ‘smoky Cajun rice with BBQ chicken and sweetcorn fritters.’
Each salad costs £2.85, and although they’ve been rolled out nationwide, they are subject to availability at each Greggs restaurant. I was lucky enough to give both salads a go, here’s my verdict.
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Smoky Cajun Rice with BBQ Chicken and Sweetcorn Fritters
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a salad on a hot day, but it’s not always my go to lunch. This is why I was intrigued to try Greggs new salad range. I’m a big fan of their sandwiches and of course their infamous sausage rolls - but would a salad be just as good?
The first thing I noticed about both salads was the sheer amount of rice you get - it was definitely my kind of salad! I’m often put off my packet salads because they don’t look that filling, but this one had plenty of rice and a great amount of chicken for extra protein.
It included BBQ flavour chicken slices, sweetcorn fritters and cooked brown rice in a smoky paprika dressing. The side salad was spinach and pickled red onions which certainly added a kick to the meal.
Unlike some salads I’ve tried, this one was absolutely bursting with flavour. I’m not going to pretend that it was tastier than a sausage roll, but it was definitely a nice, lighter change for lunch - and very different to what I’d usually order from Greggs.
One thing I will say is that the chicken was ever so slightly dry, so be sure to have a spot of sauce handy, or mix it up with the smoky paprika dressing first before taking a bite. As a whole, I was pleasantly surprised with this salad. Ready made salads can be pretty depressing, but this was a breath of fresh air.
Calories: 253
Price: £2.85
Sweet Potato Bhaji and Rice
This was definitely my favourite salad out of the two, it had a bit of spice to it and was definitely more exciting than a bog standard salad. It included sweet potato onion bhajis served with cooked long grain rice and Indian style chana masala sauce.
The side salad consisted of roasted peppers, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, spinach leaves and pickled red onions. This particular salad is also vegan friendly.
I actually enjoyed trying this salad, it had plenty of unique flavours and wasn’t dry in the slightest. I could tell that both salads were lovely and fresh, and I also had the option to heat both of them up if I wanted to.
This salad wasn’t too spicy, but it had just the right amount of flavour. The rice was fluffy and the sweet potato bhaji added some extra pockets of flavour to give the salad some extra pizzazz.
The verdict
As a whole I’d say I was pleasantly surprised with the new Greggs salads. I’m often a little dubious with premade salads, but these were fresh and had a lot of flavour.
For those who aren’t a fan of heavier salads (with a fair amount of rice) these may not be for you, they’re both quite strong in flavour but filled me up nicely which is a bonus. The salads also looked really appealing and travelled well considering they'd been delivered.
For £2.85, I think these salads are really good value for the amount you get, considering a meal deal at somewhere like Sainsbury’s or Tesco is over £3. I’ll definitely be trying one of these again for lunch as a nice healthy alternative, but my love for sausage rolls will always remain!
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