Revealed: The secret code used by Greggs staff to find the right pastry when a customer orders
- Grace Dent went behind counter at Greggs for a new Channel 5 documentary
- READ MORE: Greggs delight customers with four-for-55p jam doughnut deal
Greggs staff use a secret code in order to tell which pastries are which, a new documentary has revealed.
Food critic Grace Dent went inside the popular bakeries headquarters to discover the secrets behind the tasty sausage rolls and popular melts, and how they went from local Newcastle legends to multi-billion pound Great British behemoth.
For the show, which airs tonight on Channel 5, Grace also headed to a Newcastle store to learn what it’s like to work behind the counter of the popular bakery.
There, she discovered the ‘code’ that staff use to tell which pastry is which on the store counter.
As the labels are facing out, towards the customer, staff have to be able to identify the pastry by just looking at it.
Food critic Grace Dent (pictured) went inside the popular bakeries headquarters to discover the secrets behind the tasty sausage rolls and popular melts, and how they went from local Newcastle legends to multi-billion pound Great British behemoth
‘It’s so confusing, the staff have a secret code,’ she revealed.
A member of staff training her then explains that the steak bake has diagonal lines in the pastry, while the corned beef melt has small holes in the top.
The melt has ‘squiggly lines’ across it, while the sausage, bean and cheese melt has lines across it and the beef and vegetable pasty has a ‘humpty back’.
She also explained that the cheese pasty has arrows on them while the vegan shelf has yellow tongs on it to distinguish it from its meaty counterparts.
Grace also tried her hand at cooking sausage rolls herself, discovering they have to cook eight at a time for 18 minutes.
Grace also cooked sausage rolls herself, learning the ways to run the shop
There, she discovered the ‘code’ that staff use to tell which pastry is which on the store counter
Elsewhere, Grace met with food scientist Dr Stuart Farrimond.
Dr Farrimond explained the reason sausage rolls smell so good is due to an amino acid breakdown mixing with sugars at 130C.
Driven by an insatiable hunger for answers, Grace’s curiosity leads her on a pilgrimage to the heartland of Greggs, the fabled city of Newcastle.
Given privileged access to the heart of the Greggs empire – she ventures into the ‘food zone’—a realm never before captured on film—where Greggs’ factories and R&D kitchens reside.
Here, a treasure trove of secrets awaits – from trade secrets direct from the CEO, and new products that haven’t even hit the shops yet.
She also meets with the food developers, where they reveal the seasoning mix on sausage rolls is so secretive, even those who assemble the rolls don’t know what it’s made from.
- Greggs: Secrets of Their Best Bakes, Tonight at 8pm on Channel 5
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