Does it live up to the hype? What we thought of the Greggs vegan steak bake

Full disclosure – a steak bake is not the first-choice pasty when it comes to my Greggs order.
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It’s a crowd pleaser but I will always remain faithful to the holy trinity: sausage roll, cheese pasty and chicken bake (honourable mention to the corned beef).

But as a faithful Greggs patron, I couldn’t let one of the biggest food events of the new year pass me by.

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I’m not really one for a “new year, new me” motto, so true to form, I placed my order and prepared to tuck in to the standard steak bake versus the new plant-based pasty.

How is it and how does it compare?

Really good! It has all of the best bits that make a steak bake what it is – filling, gravy and a pastry case.

The “meat” was soft, the sauce was deliciously savoury and the pastry was sound; a lot less messy than the real steak bake.

In the interests of fairness, I went bite-to-bite with the original and there isn’t much difference to speak of.

The vegan steak bake.The vegan steak bake.
The vegan steak bake.

For me, the main thing was the seasoning.

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The OG definitely has a bit more salt, pepper and whatever else goes towards making it tasty.

And while some admit they have deferred to the Greggs’ vegan sausage roll because the pastry is less greasy, I love the crumbs and butter of a bakery delight.

I would buy the vegan version again but I don't think I could be tempted to convert to it full-time.

A peek inside the new vegan steak bake by Greggs.A peek inside the new vegan steak bake by Greggs.
A peek inside the new vegan steak bake by Greggs.

What did the rest of the office think?

After I’d had my fill, I passed around samples of both the steak bake and the vegan alternative for my colleagues to try.

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Candice: “As someone who can’t eat dairy, as an alternative option I’d buy it.”

Gary: “Tasty.”

Have you tried a vegan steak bake yet?Have you tried a vegan steak bake yet?
Have you tried a vegan steak bake yet?

Katy: “I prefer it to the original because it’s not as greasy or flaky.”

Laura: “I think it reminded me of how much I like the original steak bake.”

Peter: “You can’t tell the difference, can you?”

Poppy (who tasted blind): “Although the meat tastes like meat, the pastry will never be quite as good.”

Mark: “There’s parity apart from the vegan one is slightly drier – very good on the whole.”

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