Greggs launches vegan steak bake to rival its meat-free sausage roll

Vegan Greggs enthusiasts across the UK are starting the new year with good news.

The bakery chain has launched its vegan steak bake, promoting it on social media with a video which reads "Believe the hype…Greggs x Vegan…dropping January 2020."

The new meat-free baked product follows on from the chain's vegan sausage roll, which proved so popular branches across the country repeatedly sold out of the item and was credited with the company's profit boost.

Greggs, which has more than 2,000 outlets across the UK, reported that the vegan roll was one of its fastest-selling products of the last six years.

The arrival of the vegan steak bake, which is made with Quorn pieces, diced onions and a gravy filling, was so greatly anticipated that the bakery chain held what a spokesperson called "an exclusive preview" where a thousand "fans" were able to sample it on New Year's Day before the rest of the country.

The first 200 of this "exclusive" group at the Grainger Street shop in Newcastle-upon-Tyne also were given limited edition packaging.

The spokesperson said the company's Greggs product development team "has been working for months" on the recipe, with both vegan and non-vegan taste testers judging the bakes.

Roger Whiteside, chief executive at Greggs, said: "Our vegan sausage roll launch was a huge success and we’ve been working tirelessly to expand our vegan friendly offering and provide more delicious savoury food on-the-go options for people looking to reduce their meat intake.

"The launch of ourvegan steak bake is another key milestone on our journey to become our customers’ favourite for food-on-the-go. We look forward to hearing the feedback."