Ali Smith, who is from Brisbane, Australia, was encouraged by her 380,000 followers to try out the UK’s largest bakery chain – but was left confused by the experience
An Australian TikToker was left baffled by her first taste of classic British bakery Greggs after being met with a cold surprise.
Brisbane native Ali Smith was reeling with excitement to sample the famed treats, but despite having an army of 380,000 followers urging her to visit the bakery, her anticipation quickly turned to disappointment. Sharing her adventure on TikTok, Ali told viewers: “Let’s go to Greggs for the first time and do a taste test on a few different things!”
Eager to delve into the local cuisine, she said: “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.” With a spread including a steak bake, and a sausage roll, Ali’s mood took a turn as soon as she discovered their temperature, lamenting, the Daily Record reports. Confused, she asked: “Why is it cold? It’s not warm at all.”,
Her friend then chimed in: “We can warm it up when we get home. There’s something about if they heat it up they have to pay more tax or something.”
Perplexed at the concept of a ‘cold’ takeaway from a national chain, Ali replied: “Surely a national brand can serve food hot? People can’t just go in there and get a cold sausage roll to have for lunch?”
But even amid her uncertainty about the food’s cool state, Ali couldn’t resist trying a Yum Yum which thankfully seemed to pass the taste test. She said: “Please hold until we get home, because we have to heat up our own takeaway foods.
When Ali finally sampled the golden pastries, she found them “really nice” but was still puzzled. She said: “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.
Her followers quickly clued Ali in on why Greggs serves up cold treats. One 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 say that their bakes are placed on the shelf to cool down as part of their commitment to offering lower prices and the “best quality product”. The Greggs website FAQ section clarifies: “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.”
