I LAST enjoyed a Greggs sausage roll after sinking one too many pints on a night out in Newcastle’s rowdy Bigg Market.
But today I’m rubbing shoulders with the upper crust and sipping Prosecco as I tuck into the same fare in the northern city’s poshest department store, Fenwick.
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Like the other diners I am dressed to the nines, while a waiter wearing a crisp white shirt and smart blue tie lifts a silver dish with a flourish.
Beneath the elegant cloche is a Greggs sausage roll, sliced in half, accompanied by pickled carrots, cauliflower and cucumber.
Beside my table hangs a ‘unique artwork’ depicting the very same baked good, while to my side is a golden bell and a sign which reads: “Press for sausage rolls.”
As instructed, I ring it a few times to see what happens. No one comes.
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I am slightly crestfallen, but decide to overlook the disappointment.
Instead of eating a sausage roll while standing on a street corner in the drizzle while men shout “Cheer up, love,” I am sitting at a beautifully set table while an instrumental cover of Robbie Williams‘ Angels plays in the background.
Welcome to Bistro Greggs, a new restaurant which has popped up to serve iconic baked goods with a fancy twist.
But has the Geordie fast-food giant bitten off more than it can chew by transforming its down-to-earth pastries into posh nosh? I am here to find out.
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I am shown to my table by a charming waiter with a swagger and mischievous glint in his eye who immediately brings me a menu and takes my drinks order.
I am taken aback by the number and variety of beverages on offer. There’s more choice here than at my local Italian.
There are five varieties of white wine, three reds, Champagne, Prosecco, a selection of beers and the usual hot drinks.
The immaculate staff are a far cry from the burly bouncers you see manning the doors of the Greggs’ city centre branches on a Saturday night.
The friendly waiter promptly brings me the Prosecco I have ordered while I peruse the food menu – specially created by Fenwick Executive Head Chef Mark Reid, in collaboration with Greggs.
The ‘Breakfast & Brunch’ offerings consist of seven options including a Full English – a Greggs sausage roll with bacon, mushroom, tomato, baked beans and choice of eggs.
There is also a Greggs Benedict, which is a sausage, bean and cheese melt with smoked ham, poached Cacklebean eggs and hollandaise sauce.
A Greggs Spicy Veg Curry Bake, a croissant, ‘High Tea for Two’ and vegetarian and vegan options are also on offer.
Prices range from £3 for a croissant to a hefty £16 for the High Tea.
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The lunch menu, served from 12pm, consists of 11 sweet and savoury items, including the vegetarian and vegan options.
Prices range from £4.50 to £9.50 – enough to make casual Greggs diners used to doling out a couple of quid for their lunch spit out their food.
But this is ‘fine dining’. For lovers of the steak bake, you get one accompanied by truffled dauphinoise potatoes, green beans and almonds.
There are also fancy twists on the iconic Greggs sausage roll and festive bake, which come with posh accompaniments including pickled carrot and smoked pancetta.
If you still have room for dessert, you can order a yum yum with caramel sauce and macadamia brittle, or simply tea and cake.
It’s a far cry from the humble sausage roll.
But as a lover of this particular baked good, of which I scoffed more than I care to remember during pregnancy, this is what I opt for.
However, on this occasion I’m eating it alongside piccalilli dressing, pickled carrots, cauliflower and cucumber, and washing it down with fizz.
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The food, when it arrives, is presented with much fanfare.
The waiter carries it to me in a silver cloche, and sets it down with panache.
I am impressed by his flair – but the food I am presented with is essentially a sausage roll, with some fancy bits on the side.
Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoy the meal. As always, there is nothing flaky about the perfect pastry, and it has been warmed to the ideal temperature.
Would I pay £4.50 for the baked good, rather than the standard £1.20? At a push.
I was keen to find out what other diners thought.
Christine Treacy, 43, is sat at a table covered in a pristine white table cloth with her three children – Genevieve, seven, Alexander, nine and Constance, 11.
They now live in Delft in the Netherlands, and were visiting family in the North East.
IT manager Christine, who washed a sausage roll down with a Pink Jammie Fizz cocktail – inspired by the ‘iconic’ Pink Jammie Doughnut – said: “The kids are learning about being British. Where better to bring them than Bistro Greggs?
“Greggs is a British staple and a huge part of the North East. But this is Greggs with a twist. It’s very different. It’s a fun experience, and at complete odds with getting a Greggs at the airport, which is what we usually do.
“A family tradition is to grab a sausage roll as soon as we arrive.
“I have lived in the Netherlands for 13 years, and I really miss Greggs. This is a real taste of home, in fancy surroundings, a slice of Britishness.
“I would say it’s better in this environment. It’s nice to be waited on. I have never had a sausage roll with a cocktail before. The two compliment each other well.
“I can’t believe it hasn’t been done before. It was delicious.”
The family tucked into High Tea for Two and plates of the Full English.
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Abbie Delap was celebrating her 21st first birthday at Bistro Greggs with her mum, aunt and grandmother.
The Newcastle University geography student said: “I booked quickly as soon as I heard about Bistro Greggs. I had a feeling it would sell out really quickly. Greggs is such a popular and unique brand.
“We shared a High Tea for Two and I had a festive hot chocolate. It was actually really nice. It was a different experience than just having a takeaway.
“It also felt so much better drinking the hot chocolate from a mug rather than a paper cup.
“I might bring some cutlery along to Greggs the next time I go to try and recreate the experience.”
Mum Karen, a 52-year-old civil servant, added: “Abbie has had two celebrations this year. One at a well known cafe in Newcastle, and the other here, at Bistro Greggs. We’ve definitely had a better time here.
“This is a fabulously posh Greggs. I would not say it is special but it is different.
“The food was presented and served very well. I tried the Pink Jammie Fizz. It was meant to taste like a doughnut. It was sweet tasting, but I can’t say it tasted like a doughnut!”
Abbie’s grandma Ann Lamb, 76, a retired manager of a social services centre, added: “The staff were fantastic.
“They haven’t had long to train, but they were so efficient and nothing was too much trouble. It was a lovely change to be waited on at Greggs.”
The bistro will run through to New Year’s Eve, with tables bookable in advance and some tables reserved for walk-ins.
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