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For many Brits, a warm, flaky Greggs sausage roll is the ultimate portable breakfast or lunchtime treat. But are all Greggs sausage rolls created equal? Two mates have taken it upon themselves to discover by embarking on an epic and potentially health-ruining ‘Greggs Pilgrimage’ to visit every single one of the bakery chain’s 2,450 locations across the country.
Tom Saady-Gardiner and Milo Fletcher, self-proclaimed ‘Greggs connoisseurs’, have been meticulously taste-testing sausage rolls up and down the UK, judging each one on taste, temperature, freshness, variety, and staff friendliness. Their rigorous reviews are chronicled on wildly popular Instagram account @greggspilgrimage.
According to their quest, the nation's premier sausage roll is right here in London. The duo’s top-scoring Greggs is located in Westminster, earning an eye-popping 8.9/10 rating.
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‘The number of sausage rolls I’ve eaten over the years is definitely in four figures, but it’s worth it to become a Greggs connoisseur,’ Milo, who hails from Manchester, told the Sun. ‘Anyone who’s eaten more than one knows they’re not all the same – so we decided we’d prove a point.’
Tom added: ‘We keep a spreadsheet of all the outlets we’ve visited and the scores we'’e given to keep proper league tables.’ Their intricate scoring system even includes poetically written tasting notes like this one from a recent Sheffield visit:
‘Each bite of the festive bake beguiled my castor sacs, enriching them with hits of cranberry and sage...The elation lifted me off my feet, taking me away from Sheffield into a higher place. And then bang! A new bite, a new mix of flavours, and a new whirlwind of emotions.’
While their quest has been met with scepticism from non-believers who claim all Greggs sausage rolls do, in fact, taste the same, the lads remain undeterred. ‘We joked that we should start reviewing them, but someone said there is no point because they're all the same,’ Milo explained. ‘So we decided we'd prove them wrong.’
With over 2,000 Greggs locations to go for Tom and Milko, who knows if the Westminster shop will maintain its flaky crown? The excellent UK sausage roll hunt is still on for these dedicated mates. But one thing’s for sure - however this odyssey ends, they’ll have consumed enough sausage rolls to make even the heartiest baker blush.
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