I tried a sausage roll from one of Greggs main rivals in the UK, and I was surprised because I preferred it to that of the iconic bakery. If Greggs is known for one thing, it is sausage rolls. Many Brits enjoy these regularly, and they have become a favourite for Greggs fans. In fact, they are almost the flagship product of the bakery chain. However, there are other bakeries that don’t have as many chains around the country but make stellar baked goods, including sausage rolls.
One of them is Wenzel’s, a bakery that I have seen less often than Greggs, but one that I’ve noticed enough to remember. So, I thought it would be a good idea to see how it stands up to Greggs. In particular, I wanted to see how the sausage rolls compare. The sausage roll from Greggs is an iconic food that has been loved by thousands if not millions of Brits. But there is plenty of competition to consider. I have to say, Wenzel’s really surprised me, and I enjoyed their sausage roll way more than I enjoyed the one from Greggs.
I tried the two at the same time. Luckily, I have both a Greggs and a Wenzel’s not far from my home. So, I purchased a sausage roll from each.
The Greggs sausage roll cost me £1.55 while the Wenzel’s one cost £1.99. So, I was already expecting better things from Wenzel’s as it was slightly more pricey.
I first bit into the Greggs one and was met with soft pastry and a rigid inside that was full of flavour. It’s the sausage roll that I have come to love and it’s what I’m familiar with, so I knew I was going to enjoy it. But Wenzel’s took me by surprise.
Admittedly, Wenzel’s sausage roll didn’t look as appealing as the Greggs one. I judged the book by its cover, but ate some humble pie when I bit into it. I got some flaky, and sometimes crunchy pastry and a rich spiced sausage filling that was more evenly spread around the roll without as much empty space as the Greggs one. The main thing Wenzel’s has over Greggs is the consistency of the spiced sausage meat inside the pastry.
The taste of the Wenzel’s one was stronger and more unique, and it felt fresher. The Greggs one was enjoyable but the Wenzel’s sausage roll really just took it to the next level.
When it got to the end of the sausage rolls, I noticed a stark difference between the meat filling. In the Greggs sausage roll, the texture of the sausage filling was pretty uniform throughout. But the Wenzel’s sausage meat was slightly crisped at the end, giving me the impression that this was a more freshly baked sausage roll.
While I much preferred Wenzel’s sausage roll to the sausage roll from Greggs, it is much harder to come by. There are more than 2,600 Greggs in the UK, compared to only 109 Wenzel’s bakeries. But if I’m given the option between the two, I will spend the extra 44p on Wenzel’s offering.
