An Aussie TikToker was left baffled by her first Greggs experience in Edinburgh after her followers hyped up the bakery’s delights.
Ali Smith, hailing from Brisbane and boasting a hefty 380,000 TikTok fans, ventured into the Scottish capital’s beloved Greggs, only to find her excitement fizzle out quicker than a sausage roll cools.
Edinburgh Live reported on her less-than-impressed reaction to her lunchtime picks. On TikTok, Ali shared: “Let’s go to Greggs for the first time and do a taste test on a few different things!”
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She chirped with anticipation: “You guys have been telling me I have to go to Greggs, so I got these yum yums – and apparently my granny used to get these.
“That’ll be exciting. I [also] got a steak bake, and a sausage roll.”
(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)
But her mood took a nosedive as she discovered her grub was stone cold. She exclaimed: “Why is it cold? It’s not warm at all.” Her mate chimed in, suggesting they could heat it up back home and mumbled something about tax reasons for the chilly fare.
Ali, peering into her bag like it held the world’s mysteries, couldn’t wrap her head around the concept of a cold sausage roll for lunch. Yet, despite her initial letdown, Ali gave a yum yum a go and seemed quite taken with it. She concluded: “Please hold until we get home, because we have to heat up our own takeaway foods.”
When Ali finally sampled the golden pastries, she was impressed, saying they’re “really nice” but still a bit puzzled. She remarked: “The steams coming off of it, like it should be when you get it.
“I’m not letting that go by the way. That actually is very good, it’s a good time.”
(Image: TikTok/@alismithhhh)
Her followers quickly filled her in on why Greggs serves its goods at room temperature. One follower explained: “There is heating tax in the UK, so that’s why you have to be on point when they pull it out the oven!”
Greggs themselves clarify that their bakes are placed on the shelf to cool to maintain lower prices and ensure the “best quality product”. On their website’s FAQs section, Greggs notes: “We sell savouries that 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.”
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