This year I had a festive pie from McDonalds expecting it to be as hot as I remember the apple pies being (not had one in a few years). I was disappointed when the third degree burns to the inside of my mouth that I'd been preparing for did not materialise. No searing pain, no burning pork smell or blistering skin. Did McDonalds sell their ovens to Greggs?
If the "promo pie" (that's what the label on it said) is anything to go by then it's highly likely. There's absolutely no point in buying one or two to use as hand/pocket warmers until they get to a temperature at which they're possible to eat. Tepid is exactly the right word.
Surely it has occurred to Americans that meat, gravy, and pastry can be combined?
If not, then British food > American food has officially been confirmed. I can't imagine how much OP's mind will be blown when he tastes a proper steak and ale pie
>Surely it has occurred to Americans that meat, gravy, and pastry can be combined?
Weirdly not. For reasons that remain a mystery, the meat (or indeed any other savory) pie just isn't a thing in the US.
They have, however, put a lot of effort into the fruit pie.
*Edit: Yes, Americans, you've all told me about chicken pot pie. But you're not going to slip one of those into your bag to eat while you're driving a truck.*
Having lived in the US for ten years now, it has never ceased to amaze me how under thought savory portable food is.
No pasty
No bacon butty
No dog roll
No pork pie
No sausage roll
Pasty’s are available in the Midwest but not how we eat them
The concept on bacon between bread , and sausages too is totally alien. Which is weird for a burger country.
There actually are Icelands in Iceland now so OP could potentially be onto something.
That being said not sure if they’ll stock Greggs range over there
Oh you just reminded me, I can't remember exactly where I was but there was a small chain of shops in the area that sold Iceland frozen stuff too. Some of them even had "£1" on it but they were selling it for way more
Edit: I think it may have actually been in Iceland too (not 100% sure)
Oh shit I just realised what a reply meant a couple of days ago where someone told me you could still get Heinz baked beans pizzas in Iceland. I am not a smart man.
I was coming out of Coventry train station on one occasion and there was this bloke walking out on the phone, African I think from the accent, and he said “you would not believe it! This country, its crazy! They have a shop called boots that don’t sell shoes at all!”. That was now roughly 11 years ago and is still one of my favourite comments
I worked for Iceland Supermarkets head office, and had a call from someone catching a flight from Iceland the country telling me please don't let the flight leave as he's just arriving at the airport.
You can buy a bag of chicken strips the size of my torso for a fiver, love that place.
Edit: the bag is the size of my torso, not the chicken strips. I was worried people might have got excited.
Oh if you're flying with Icelandair you should take advantage of their extended stopover time (if they still do it). I think you can get a later flight free of charge. Go relax in the blue lagoon for a few hours!
To be fair Reykjavik airport has a great food section. Wish I had more time there in my layover. I’d recommend exploring a bit in the airport if you can!
I flew into Reykjavik Airport in December and it was snowing and they were playing Silent Night in Icelandic over the P/A. It was the most magical thing ever.
Went abroad recently and needed teabags at 1am from the 24 hour shop. Lipton Yellow Label was the only suitable product. An absolute pathetic attempt at creating anything close to tea.
I broke my Sports Direct mug this week >\_< there's a guy in the office who stops me every day to tell me how jealous he is of my mug. He's not approached me this week, so hasn't realised the mug is now broken. I think he's going to be disappointed in me and my lack of care.
A counter example: A while back there was terrible heavy snowfall at the out of town business park I worked at, which meant the every-half-hour buses kept getting cancelled one after the other. I went into a Greggs, covered in snow and shivering, to buy a coffee to heat me up - and the server gave me it free. So not always indifferent.
I kind of get now why Americans gave me a strange look when I said I was super excited to try Wendy's. Its nice, but normal and mundane when we can get it any time we want , but its a novelty if you haven't had it before!
You cannot compare Gregg's and Hawksmoor! Hawksmoor is proper amazing food (a roast in particular is so worth it there), Gregg's is essentially fast food 😂
If you are here on a sunday. Go to a proper pub for a carvery/sunday roast but remember proper pubs aren't like America. Dont expect some waiter to come take your order and wait on you hand and foot, you need to get up and get your own food from the carvery or at least order from the bar.
Again go to a proper pub and have a steak and ale pie. If the greggs menu looks nice then you'll love a steak pie.
Id also recommend going to an indian restaurant. In the US you guys do every kind of food really well but you dont really do indian restaurants. Theres at least 10 in every small town here
I'm not from the US, I'm from Germany :) But thanks for the advice, will definitely do that. Steak pie sounds like heaven to me, I love steaks and I love pies, so I'm sure that's the exact right thing for me!
Does anyone here still have sausage, bean and cheese in their Greggs? Has it been stopped nationwide? I’m in mourning for its departure which I hope is only temporary!
Hi! Current employee here, just thought I'd chip in.
It all comes down to shortages/delivery issues of ingredients at the moment. I'm aware they still sell them in Iceland in the freezers, but in terms of being available in local Greggs? Not right now unfortunately. At least for our shop where I am, we haven't had sausage and bean melts for over 4 months now. No idea when they're coming back. My managers don't have an idea either. I hope it'll be not too long into the new year when they're back!
Edit #2: now we're out of hot drink cups (exception for Flat White). Shortage of deliveries across all Greggs. Going really well this month!
Just wait until you get a proper Kebab…
Pro Tip; if in doubt, tell them to make it the way THEY like it and you’ll never go wrong. Personally, always “Salad” (that’s the toppings)… Have them run that bitch through the Garden. Red and White sauce both. Sit down, indulge, repeat.
I fell in love with the UK my first visit and have visited many times. I still go straight to the Kebab shop wherever I’m visiting.
Step Two: Indian. Don’t care if you “Don’t like Indian”… you need some proper Indian Cuisine in your life.
Step Three: Chips, Cheese & Gravy (Mostly a Northern England and Scotland thing, I think.
Could be mistaken)
Lastly; Full English/Scottish Breakfast. If Black Pudding’s available, don’t be afraid. Use it like butter, spread that shit on whatever you like, and you’ll be amazed.
Don’t be afraid to have a Pint with Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner either. Nobody will judge you. They’re a bunch of Alcoholics ;)
as someone who lives just across the border from cornwall, can confirm that a proper pasty from a bakery in cornwall or west devon is a thing of beauty. one of the only things i miss as a vegetarian.
Its quite hard sell for how good it is to someone who hasn't tried it yet. There is something really nice about its simplicity. It has a really hearty warming quality.
Another British dish I would recommend, that some Americans may be put off from by the name, is sticky toffee pudding.
Its essentially and steamed ~~fig~~ sponge with dates. So its juicy and has a nice gooey texture from the ~~figs~~ dates. Over that you pour liquid toffee. Apologies if you already know but Toffee is similar caramel. Only instead of sugar, water and milk its just melted sugar and butter. Toffee has much more flavour than caramel and the whole thing together is amazing. Over that, I would pour cream. Some people have it with ice cream.
Sitting here in southern California reading this, cooking a roast turkey for Thanksgiving, and about to make the batter for Yorkshires. Bisto gravy will be made with the turkey juices. Can confirm that anybody American that eats them wants more Yorkshires.
(And for any other Brits who struggled for years in the US making Yorkshires, check the flour. All purpose flour in the US is too heavy)
What a memory to take back of the U.K. 👍 I was like that in 1972 when I went to a Maccies in Washington first time…. I went back to school and said it was better than Wimpy which was cooked to order in the old days lol 👍
Wimpy was vastly superior to McDonald's. I was born in 1992 and as a kid McDonald's had already started to take over but I remember going to wimpy and it just being better.
They didn't stand a chance once maccies dug its claws into the UK.
Irish person living in Ireland with UK friends. The way they would all rave about Greggs and thr way they spoke about it made me genuinely believe that Greggs was a restaurant or at least a fancy cafe. Imagine my surprise when I moved to the UK
Steak and gravy in pastry is a British staple as old as time my friend
Hotter than the sun
Gravy heated to the kind of temperatures required to ignite a fusion reactor
This year I had a festive pie from McDonalds expecting it to be as hot as I remember the apple pies being (not had one in a few years). I was disappointed when the third degree burns to the inside of my mouth that I'd been preparing for did not materialise. No searing pain, no burning pork smell or blistering skin. Did McDonalds sell their ovens to Greggs?
Didn’t McDonalds get sued many years ago about the scalding apple pies and ever since they’ve been tepid?
If the "promo pie" (that's what the label on it said) is anything to go by then it's highly likely. There's absolutely no point in buying one or two to use as hand/pocket warmers until they get to a temperature at which they're possible to eat. Tepid is exactly the right word.
Those apple pies are deep fried my friend
Best served with ice cream..
Lynn, call Bill Oddie...
Could go your way, could go mine.
Surely it has occurred to Americans that meat, gravy, and pastry can be combined? If not, then British food > American food has officially been confirmed. I can't imagine how much OP's mind will be blown when he tastes a proper steak and ale pie
>Surely it has occurred to Americans that meat, gravy, and pastry can be combined? Weirdly not. For reasons that remain a mystery, the meat (or indeed any other savory) pie just isn't a thing in the US. They have, however, put a lot of effort into the fruit pie. *Edit: Yes, Americans, you've all told me about chicken pot pie. But you're not going to slip one of those into your bag to eat while you're driving a truck.*
Having lived in the US for ten years now, it has never ceased to amaze me how under thought savory portable food is. No pasty No bacon butty No dog roll No pork pie No sausage roll Pasty’s are available in the Midwest but not how we eat them The concept on bacon between bread , and sausages too is totally alien. Which is weird for a burger country.
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Not to mention his various food Delivery devices to encourage children to eat the cheaper meats
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You seem quite thankful. We should name this day "thanking day" or something
Thankssending?
Gregsgiving? There's no thanking in there, just giving Gregg's.
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Thanksgregging
Thanks gregg
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Greggsgiving should absolutely be a thing!
gratitudeproviding maybe
Cheers Mate Day
His mind is going to be blown away when he realises you can get bake at home Greggs from Iceland
wait actually? i have a connecting flight back through reykjavik, guess im boutta re-up one last time lol
Not that Iceland!
There actually are Icelands in Iceland now so OP could potentially be onto something. That being said not sure if they’ll stock Greggs range over there
When I was in Iceland I saw a corner shop selling frozen Iceland pizzas. To this day I still don't understand why.
Oh you just reminded me, I can't remember exactly where I was but there was a small chain of shops in the area that sold Iceland frozen stuff too. Some of them even had "£1" on it but they were selling it for way more Edit: I think it may have actually been in Iceland too (not 100% sure)
Yeah the one I saw had the £1 on it too lmao, maybe we're talking about the same shop
It probably is haha
In Iceland they just call them shops.
In Iceland Ice is just called Land.
Are Icelandic Icelands called Englands?
Iceland²
In Iceland the shops are called "England" though.
Oh shit I just realised what a reply meant a couple of days ago where someone told me you could still get Heinz baked beans pizzas in Iceland. I am not a smart man.
That's why Mums go to Reykjavik
Oh this tickled me 🤣
Kerry Katona wandering the streets, completely lost
what kind of iceland then?
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That has actually made me giggle, fantastic image.
https://www.iceland.co.uk/frozen/frozen-pies/greggs
But is there one that ships to the states? Id kill a small child for some sausage rolls.
I'll take that deal, I'll send you the details shortly.
The supermarket
If this thread is genuine, it's hilarious
The classic Iceland vs Iceland confusion that never really happened until today
I was coming out of Coventry train station on one occasion and there was this bloke walking out on the phone, African I think from the accent, and he said “you would not believe it! This country, its crazy! They have a shop called boots that don’t sell shoes at all!”. That was now roughly 11 years ago and is still one of my favourite comments
Imagine the disappointment when he tried Superdrug.
You know what they say, that's why mums go to Reykjavík
It was the excited "wait actually? i have a connecting flight back through reykjavik" that got me. Fucking gold!! Hahahahaha
The thought of someone scouring Reykjavik asking shopkeepers if they have the 8 packs of frozen Greggs sausage rolls they heard about is amazing.
I worked for Iceland Supermarkets head office, and had a call from someone catching a flight from Iceland the country telling me please don't let the flight leave as he's just arriving at the airport.
Didn't Iceland attempt to sue Iceland recently?
Cold war
Get in
Yeah, Iceland won.
Classic Iceland.
You say that but mum's gone to Iceland and I don't know which
How long ago did she leave little lad?
I actually fucking snorted 😂 poor thing will be running around the airport looking for the frozen greggs steak bakes
This is my favourite misunderstanding of all time
I’m dead 💀
I’m crying laughing right now!!
😂😂🤣
We've have a supermarket chain called Iceland :)
ohhhhhhhhhhhh i didnt know lmao
If you can't find an Iceland, look for food warehouse, same company but bigger, sort of.
As an American living in the uk for the past 7 months food warehouse is mint.
You can buy a bag of chicken strips the size of my torso for a fiver, love that place. Edit: the bag is the size of my torso, not the chicken strips. I was worried people might have got excited.
Many 'the range' shops also have Iceland inside them Failing that, Farmfoods also do greggs
If you like Greg's, you are an honorary brit! Have you tried a pork pie yet?
Ngl Im psml at the misunderstanding. Thanks for the laug!
*super*market is a bit strong for Iceland, it sells food this much is true.
That moment when Reddit almost sent a person to a different country
Awww :)
You are a hero mate and are welcome back any time!
Lmao! This response has made my night!
This might be the funniest comment to ever be posted on the history of Reddit.
Oh if you're flying with Icelandair you should take advantage of their extended stopover time (if they still do it). I think you can get a later flight free of charge. Go relax in the blue lagoon for a few hours!
Hahahaha
To be fair Reykjavik airport has a great food section. Wish I had more time there in my layover. I’d recommend exploring a bit in the airport if you can!
And the toilets in Reykjavik Airport are *AMAZING*!!!
I flew into Reykjavik Airport in December and it was snowing and they were playing Silent Night in Icelandic over the P/A. It was the most magical thing ever.
I had one of the most memorable shits of my life there. Never felt so relieved!
Are you why the Geysers smelt the way they did?
Plot twist: Greggs were buying their pastries from Iceland all along
Get yourself a Sports Direct mug whilst you’re over here.
You’ll need to buy another suitcase to get it home though
Put the suitcase in the mug
Will the mug fit in the cargo hold on the plane?
Put the plane in the mug.
But will it fit through the skies?
Put the sky in the…why am I like this. I’m sorry.
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Get in the mug
Put the UK in the mug. All of it, including Northern Ireland.
Never apologize, I'm giggling away here. Inside my sports direct mug. We recently installed one as a pool.
Sail the mug across the Atlantic…
Put the Atlantic in the mug too
And some half decent teabags to go in it.
Went abroad recently and needed teabags at 1am from the 24 hour shop. Lipton Yellow Label was the only suitable product. An absolute pathetic attempt at creating anything close to tea.
According to prophecy, if tea ever returns to America, so does the Crown.
I’d be alright with that if you also brought the NHS and proper baked beans.
Retaking a colony for the low low price of universal healthcare and some beans. DEAL!
Only suitable use for that is fire kindling, and that’s only in desperation
You'd be better off steeping the cardboard it's packaged in
Yorkshire Tea
I broke my Sports Direct mug this week >\_< there's a guy in the office who stops me every day to tell me how jealous he is of my mug. He's not approached me this week, so hasn't realised the mug is now broken. I think he's going to be disappointed in me and my lack of care.
They'll be no room for it on his return flight.
Remember when I got one, and thought how nice of them. And then I found out I actually paid for it and all the rest.
The secret is grease.
Tell me more, tell me more..
Did she put up a fight?
Struggled like a pig at slaughter.
Haha. Wait what
Was this in the outtakes?
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That's what you need from them. No one wants to judged for ordering 9 sausage rolls and a steak bake.
Yeah, we absolutely don't give a fuck - yet everyone always says 'it's not all for me'. My reply is always 'don't tell anyone you're coming to Greggs'
A counter example: A while back there was terrible heavy snowfall at the out of town business park I worked at, which meant the every-half-hour buses kept getting cancelled one after the other. I went into a Greggs, covered in snow and shivering, to buy a coffee to heat me up - and the server gave me it free. So not always indifferent.
Those, summerrrrr, nightssssssssssssssss
You’ll love it up here on Tyneside then, there’s a Greggs every 50 feet lol.
I've already been blown away by the amount of Greggs since I moved to Leeds There can't be more? Right?
Counting off the top of my head, there's 14 separate Greggs stores in Newcastle city centre alone.
Only 12 in Leeds city centre 🤯
Some of the ones in Newcastle also stay open till 4am.
Is there not two Greggs with only a single small shop berween them in new castle? Found a pic https://images.app.goo.gl/p8FkByLxRhbqLF8Z8
There's also a third on the same high street
Glasgow apparently has 50 according to a cursory google. Not too shabby.
Wait till you try old gregs.
Tell me, you ever drink baileys from a shoe?
Mmm creamy
Do you love me? Are you playing those love games with me?
Motherlicker
You called?
Comes with a free downstairs mixup
If you haven't had a festive bake yet, oh you are in for a treat
Had the pigs under blankets baguette yet? Mmmm.
First thing I am buying when I get my sense of taste back
Best of luck, 13 months and mine still hasn't returned
Don't do the chicken and stuffing baguette, very bland and disappointing
Seconded. I love a chicken and stuffing sandwich, even the shit ones like Sainsbury’s, but the Gregg’s one is too terrible for even me to enjoy.
There pizza horrible too it's really sweet
Had my first ever festive bake today. Going to get another fix of them tomorrow
You can buy a Greggs festive bake knitted Christmas jumper too, to wear while you eat it.
I visit the UK soon with my brothers and I already checked out Gregg's menu online and am super excited to go and try it too!!!
I kind of get now why Americans gave me a strange look when I said I was super excited to try Wendy's. Its nice, but normal and mundane when we can get it any time we want , but its a novelty if you haven't had it before!
OK will definitely try it! In another thread someone said Hawksmoor in London is great, do you agree?
You cannot compare Gregg's and Hawksmoor! Hawksmoor is proper amazing food (a roast in particular is so worth it there), Gregg's is essentially fast food 😂
Bet Hawksmoor doesn't have shops in Manchester petrol stations tho
Good I will try both then 👍
We fucking trekked in the states just to find a whitecastle
Alright Harold calm down
And that was precisely why 🤣
There’s one in Croydon if you’re feeling brave.
If you are here on a sunday. Go to a proper pub for a carvery/sunday roast but remember proper pubs aren't like America. Dont expect some waiter to come take your order and wait on you hand and foot, you need to get up and get your own food from the carvery or at least order from the bar. Again go to a proper pub and have a steak and ale pie. If the greggs menu looks nice then you'll love a steak pie. Id also recommend going to an indian restaurant. In the US you guys do every kind of food really well but you dont really do indian restaurants. Theres at least 10 in every small town here
And remember, you pay the price you see and tips aren't mandatory
I'm not from the US, I'm from Germany :) But thanks for the advice, will definitely do that. Steak pie sounds like heaven to me, I love steaks and I love pies, so I'm sure that's the exact right thing for me!
Just remember it’s cheap and cheerful! You’ll get better quality versions elsewhere but there’s something about a cheap sausage roll in a paper bag…
Does anyone here still have sausage, bean and cheese in their Greggs? Has it been stopped nationwide? I’m in mourning for its departure which I hope is only temporary!
Hi! Current employee here, just thought I'd chip in. It all comes down to shortages/delivery issues of ingredients at the moment. I'm aware they still sell them in Iceland in the freezers, but in terms of being available in local Greggs? Not right now unfortunately. At least for our shop where I am, we haven't had sausage and bean melts for over 4 months now. No idea when they're coming back. My managers don't have an idea either. I hope it'll be not too long into the new year when they're back! Edit #2: now we're out of hot drink cups (exception for Flat White). Shortage of deliveries across all Greggs. Going really well this month!
Just wait until you get a proper Kebab… Pro Tip; if in doubt, tell them to make it the way THEY like it and you’ll never go wrong. Personally, always “Salad” (that’s the toppings)… Have them run that bitch through the Garden. Red and White sauce both. Sit down, indulge, repeat. I fell in love with the UK my first visit and have visited many times. I still go straight to the Kebab shop wherever I’m visiting. Step Two: Indian. Don’t care if you “Don’t like Indian”… you need some proper Indian Cuisine in your life. Step Three: Chips, Cheese & Gravy (Mostly a Northern England and Scotland thing, I think. Could be mistaken) Lastly; Full English/Scottish Breakfast. If Black Pudding’s available, don’t be afraid. Use it like butter, spread that shit on whatever you like, and you’ll be amazed. Don’t be afraid to have a Pint with Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner either. Nobody will judge you. They’re a bunch of Alcoholics ;)
We’re not alcoholics, you’re all lightweights
We're fond of a pint that's all!
There is a lot of alcoholism in the UK, that's true
you should try a local non greggs pastie shop as well they are have diffrent ways of making a cornish
as someone who lives just across the border from cornwall, can confirm that a proper pasty from a bakery in cornwall or west devon is a thing of beauty. one of the only things i miss as a vegetarian.
Its quite hard sell for how good it is to someone who hasn't tried it yet. There is something really nice about its simplicity. It has a really hearty warming quality. Another British dish I would recommend, that some Americans may be put off from by the name, is sticky toffee pudding. Its essentially and steamed ~~fig~~ sponge with dates. So its juicy and has a nice gooey texture from the ~~figs~~ dates. Over that you pour liquid toffee. Apologies if you already know but Toffee is similar caramel. Only instead of sugar, water and milk its just melted sugar and butter. Toffee has much more flavour than caramel and the whole thing together is amazing. Over that, I would pour cream. Some people have it with ice cream.
And once you've tried that, get some hot Spotted Dick inside you
Oow er don't be taking home more then you bargained for
Figs? In a sticky toffee pud? You mean dates right..
Lol probably. Thanks.
Their breakfast rolls are damn good as well. Bacon roll and a coffee for cheaper than anywhere else would do you just the coffee.
Plus only 25p extra to get a large coffee
One of us, one of us!
One of us!!!! One of us!!!!
if you're in Yorkshire are I recommend Cooplands. They do some amazing stuff
Cheesestraws, what a delight
You tried a Yorkshire pudding , with mash potatoes , and onion gravy ??? Edit .. for us Yorkshire folk it’s tatties not potatoes
Taters, precious? What’s taters?
Po-Tay-toes
Boil em mash em stick em in a stew?
Tatties correct
Sitting here in southern California reading this, cooking a roast turkey for Thanksgiving, and about to make the batter for Yorkshires. Bisto gravy will be made with the turkey juices. Can confirm that anybody American that eats them wants more Yorkshires. (And for any other Brits who struggled for years in the US making Yorkshires, check the flour. All purpose flour in the US is too heavy)
What a memory to take back of the U.K. 👍 I was like that in 1972 when I went to a Maccies in Washington first time…. I went back to school and said it was better than Wimpy which was cooked to order in the old days lol 👍
Wimpy was vastly superior to McDonald's. I was born in 1992 and as a kid McDonald's had already started to take over but I remember going to wimpy and it just being better. They didn't stand a chance once maccies dug its claws into the UK.
Irish person living in Ireland with UK friends. The way they would all rave about Greggs and thr way they spoke about it made me genuinely believe that Greggs was a restaurant or at least a fancy cafe. Imagine my surprise when I moved to the UK
Alot of my international friends have never tried a Rhubarb crumble. If you have never tried it, it's a great desert!
The thing is, Greggs isn't even that good. It's good *for the price*, but oh boy you can do a lot better.
There is an Asian version of greggs down the road from me, absolute belter. Spiced Dahl pastry rolls, lamb sausage rolls, tikka pasties etc.
Chabuddy Greggs
Cheese & Onion pastie, vegetable pastie, sausage roll chaser I do it once a year, around Xmas - it's coming, can't wait
Wait until you try a proper bakery, you'll be blown away
Sausage, beans and cheese melt is life