A Derbyshire bakery chain has followed in the footsteps of Greggs by launching its own vegan sausage roll.
Stacey’s Bakery, which has two outlets in Ilkeston, a store in Heanor and a shop in Eastwood, just over the border in Nottinghamshire, was inspired to come up with the new product by World Vegan Day, which took place last Friday.
The firm has been creating traditional baked goods since the 1940s - but has never introduced a vegan alternative to a meat-based product before.
According to recent research by the Vegan Society, the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled between 2014 and 2018 and now stands at well in excess of 600,000.
As it continues to gather momentum, it’s even now being predicted that vegans and vegetarians will account for a quarter of the UK population by 2025.
Since launching its vegan sausage roll product, national bakery chain Greggs has seen its sales rocket.
But according to David Stacey, managing director and great grandson of the bakery’s founder, his firm decided to introduce vegan sausage rolls in order to cater for all customers - rather than give Greggs a run for their money.
He said: “More and more people are now enjoying vegan food on our high streets.
“Rather than force vegan customers to buy from non-specialist chains, we’re keen to give them access to real food, baked with the utmost care by a bakery with generations of know-how behind it.”
According to Mr Stacey, sausage rolls in particular lend themselves to a vegan alternative.
He said: “Believe it or not, pork isn’t actually the most important ingredient in a good sausage roll. It’s the lovely pastry, the spices, the seasoning and the herb-infused bread crumbs.
“What you need from the pork for a rich, juicy sausage roll is the fat. But we can easily substitute that with vegetable suet and by replacing the egg wash with a seasoned pea-based glaze, we can also add extra colour and taste to the pastry case.
“You still get the flavours of thyme and pepper; you still get the juicy meat texture; and you still get a flaky puff pastry jacket.
“It just comes in a product that now satisfies the ethical standards people look for in true vegan food.”
