Greggs worker explains why your food isn't always hot

There is no questioning that Greggs is basically a British institution at this point - with many millions of Brits loving their iconic bakes.

And while the classic sausage roll is certainly scrumptious, there is nothing worse that biting into one and discovering it's tad a bit cold.

Typically, you find that this is more common as closing time approaches, though it certainly isn't just sausage rolls that can suffer the cold treatment.

Earlier this year, an anonymous Reddit user who claimed they worked at Greggs took to the platform to ask users if they had any burning questions.

In one reply, a Reddit user asked why the sausage, bean and cheese melts are usually cold.

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Well, the 'worker' replied: "Because it’s not actually under a hot counter, so when it comes out the oven it’s going to get cold , you have to get there at the right time!"

When you see the food on offer at Greggs, you get to see them behind the glass in a well lit counter, and you might expect this counter to be heated but you'd be very wrong to assume that.

It turns out the food going cold at Greggs is to be expected, as the employee further explained that those counters you see in the bakery aren't actually hot.

The worker then suggested that people should arrive 'at the right time' if they wanted a hot roll, which lead others to suggest that the best time to get to Greggs to obtain the hot food is at opening time - though regulars will know a new batch of any of their pasty favourites is always on the go.

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One particular Redditor pointed out that 'pasty tax', which charges value added tax (VAT) for hot takeaway food but exempts other meals which are either served cold or cool down, as a reason for cold food.

Basically, if a takeaway food is meant to be served hot then you have to pay standard VAT on it, which stands at 20 percent, and that includes food that the bakery keeps hot for customers, while cold foods don't have to pay.

In a weird loophole, food which has just come out of the oven doesn't get hit by the tax, so if Greggs kept their sausage rolls and pastries warm, you'd have to pay 20 percent more.

Greggs themselves have previously confirmed avoiding the pasty tax in a statement they issued in 2019.

They said: "We sell savouries which are freshly baked in our shop ovens then put on the shelf to cool.

"We don't keep them in a heated environment, use heat retaining packaging, or market them as hot because of this. As bakers we believe that baking our savouries fresh each day gives customers the best quality product."

"If the sausage rolls and bakes were kept hot after they had been baked, then they would be subject to VAT and the customer would have to be charged a higher price, in the same way that we charge VAT on our hot sandwiches which are kept in a heated cabinet and are subject to VAT."

Topics: Greggs, Food And Drink, UK News

Callum Jones

@CallumJ2709