We compared the new vegan 'steak' bake with the regular meat steak bake from Greggs in Leamington and this is what we found

National bakery chain Greggs including its branches in Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth and Rugby has launched a new vegan 'steak bake' for 2020 and we compared the new product with its popular meat counterpart
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We tasted both products and have judged them in three categories - pastry, filling and overall flavour.

When placing both products side by side on a plate it was clear that the pastry for the steak bake has a more glossy and 'greasy' appearance due to its egg wash.

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The pattern for the vegan bake was more appealing and its appearance is similar to that of Greggs' vegan sausage rolls which we compared to the meat sausage rolls in January 2019.

Greggs in LeamingtonGreggs in Leamington
Greggs in Leamington

When breaking up the pastry we found that the vegan bake's pastry held up much better - making it a cleaner and more solid option for eating on the go.

In regard to the filling in both bakes, the difference between the two products becomes greatly apparent.

The meat pieces in the steak bake are clearly quite cheap and generally fatty and chewy to eat while the vegan alternative bears the resemblance of mince 'meat'and offers no resistance when bitten.

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The gravy for the meat bake is rich and not too salty and was considered a preference across the board by our tasters and a highlight of the product

Greggs' vegan steak bake (left) and steak bake (right).Greggs' vegan steak bake (left) and steak bake (right).
Greggs' vegan steak bake (left) and steak bake (right).

While not unpleasant, the vegan gravy came out second best for our tasters who commented on a clear taste of caramelised onion with almost a hint of Branston pickle and root vegetables.

The vegan filling in general was praised for being homogeneous and smooth but some tasters did not enjoy the amount of onion it contained.

In terms of overall taste our four tasters were split between preferring the steak to the vegan bake.

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But compared to Greggs' sausage and vegan sausage roll offerings the steak and vegan steak products have more clear differences.

The vegan steak bake costs £1.55 to take away and £1.85 to eat in store while the steak bake is £1.50 or £1.80.

We paid for the products ourselves.

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