Man compared Greggs to posh bakery where pricey item underwhelmed him

Nothing screams British like tucking into a Greggs  sausage roll for breakfast, and we wouldn’t swap it for the world. Yet, one adventurous YouTuber set off on a culinary crusade to pit our cherished Greggs against London’s swankiest bakery – Cedric Grolet in Knightsbridge. Harrison Webb sampled treats from each establishment, weighing up factors such as cost, customer service, ingredients, and the variety on offer. Kicking off his gourmet adventure at Greggs, he quipped: “If you don’t know about Greggs I don’t think you’re British.”

Harrison was on a mission to sample a spread of snacks and beverages, opting for an espresso, a slice of margherita pizza, a sausage roll, an original glazed doughnut, and a slice of Tottenham cake. Upon learning the total came to just £8.80, he expressed his delight to his viewers: “That’s brilliant. 

“I’m kind of impressed already. It doesn’t even need to taste good. I know that the sausage roll tastes elite. Where in London can you get five things and a coffee for under a tenner?”

However, his tune changed after sipping the £1.90 espresso, lamenting: “That’s actually not that great. Ah… I wanted it to be good. I don’t think of myself as a coffee connoisseur but it is not the best coffee I have ever had.”

He conceded he’d rather shell out more for superior quality elsewhere and resolved never to order an espresso from Greggs again.

Nevertheless, the glazed doughnut, Tottenham cake and sausage roll all scored considerably better, and while the pizza didn’t win him over, he acknowledged the bargain factor at just £2.50 per slice was tough to beat.

Wrapping up his visit, he declared: “We got five things for under a tenner, coffee not the best, ok, but you are grabbing a few treats, a few desserts, I think that’s great. I am going to rate it a 4 (out of 5).”

So, armed with a solid Google rating of 4, how would French pastry maestro Cedric Grolet’s upmarket café and patisserie at The Berkeley hotel in Wilton Place measure up?

Harrison clocked some striking differences the moment he stepped into Cedric Grolet – chiefly, he hadn’t anticipated encountering a doorman at a bakery.

What followed, though hardly shocking, were the eye-watering prices.

A double espresso, priced at £8, would have nearly matched his entire Greggs haul. However, what truly stunned the content creator was the £17 price tag on a chocolate chip cookie.

After sampling it, he confessed to the camera: “I am trying to be polite, because I really like the people here, but it doesn’t alter the review. I have had better. Definitely had cheaper.”

Speaking openly to one of the staff members, he said: “I feel like there’s pressure but I am going to be honest with you. It is good. [But] with a cookie I’m feeling like I’m wanting it sweeter.”

Later, he counselled his 1 million followers not to flock there solely for the cookie, asserting that the fruit and posh croissants were far more deserving of attention.

He splashed out £22 on a fruit platter brimming with an assortment of berries, passion fruit, pineapple, apple, kiwi and mango. Despite the steep price tag, he declared it was the finest mango he’d ever savoured in London.

His indulgence didn’t stop there; he treated himself to a wagyu truffle croissant, which came with a jaw-dropping £53 price tag.

Harrison conceded that it was scrumptious but pondered aloud: “I just wanna know who is coming in here and ordering this? I feel like they do this for TikTokers surely. Who comes and gets that for lunch? I feel like I am in a high end restaurant and not a bakery.”

He then sampled a variety of other delights, including a waffle flower, which he likened to a deep-fried doughnut but without the cloying sweetness.

The well-known YouTuber also shared that the experience, where he was seated by the chef’s station, felt akin to a masterclass. After sipping a chai latte, he enthused: “I imagine that’s what heaven tastes like – silky, frothy, sexy.”

His bill, astonishingly, totalled £337, inclusive of a £40 service charge. He commented: “They know it is expensive as well, you are going there for an experience. If you are into food, I would always recommend doing that counter seating.”

He acknowledged that the average 3.5 review on Google seemed harsh in his view, suggesting that people were likely docking points due to the exorbitant prices.

Yet, he rated it a mere 4.2, remarking: “The staff were lovely, experience, quality of ingredients… Cookie? I wouldn’t get that again.”

To watch Harrison’s full video, you can do so here