Greggs' vegan steak break praised in Wolverhampton
Greggs' vegan steak bake was met with rave reviews in Wolverhampton as it launched in stores across the country.
The snack's release came amid a surge in the number of companies releasing meat-free products – following on from the chain's success with the vegan sausage roll.
It is filled with pieces of meat substitute Quorn, diced onions and gravy, and saw more than 100 people queuing up for roughly 20 minutes for a taste on Wednesday night at sites across the country.
Vegetarian Laura Shinton, from the Parkfields in the city, said she and friend Kate Allcock had come into the city just to try it.
She was one of thousands up and down the country to take a bite of the new snack – having got two from the store in Dudley Street.
The branch in Market Street had already sold out due to its high demand.
She said: "The pastry is good – I think these are better than the original versions because there's no grease.
"The vegan sausage roll, for example, is a lot nicer than the original which I remember tasting."
The 33-year-old, who said she doesn't like meat or the texture of meat, said: added: "It's very gravy-ee, even though that's not a word – there's a lot of it.
"We've actually come up to buy it.
"There's no gristle with it and it's much nicer and it's worth the trip, but I still think I prefer the vegan sausage roll."
The release came as more than 300,000 people signed up to take part in "Veganuary".
Meat-eater Kate, aged 29, said she was a fan of the new addition to Greggs' menu as she bit into one.
She said: "It does taste like a steak bake and the texture is really nice.
"I have a weird thing about food textures and I like this – now I can just enjoy steak bakes."
KFC has released a vegan burger, made with a Quorn fillet, lettuce and vegan mayonnaise.
And Subway has also released a vegan option with the meatless meatball marinara – made with plant-based meat replacements, marinara sauce and vegan cheese.
This month's launch of restaurant chain Frankie & Benny's new Vegan menu has been backed by rock music legend Meat Loaf.
A study by data company Kantar found 1.3 million Britons chose to forego animal products last January, with 366,000 saying they did so as part of Veganuary.
Toni Vernelli, Veganuary's head of communications, said: "Our own surveys show about 50 per cent chose to stay vegan as it was much easier and enjoyable than they expected, but we always hoped the other half discovered some products and recipes they loved so much they permanently swapped these for the non-vegan equivalent.
"Now we know that's exactly what's happening, and it's great news for animals and the planet."
The release of Greggs' vegan sausage roll last January saw the company's profits soar more than 52 per cent to £36.7 million for the 26 weeks to June 29 last year.
