A sausage roll without meat? Yes, and it’s taking Britons by storm

I did something the other day I thought I would never do –  I bought and ate a vegan, that is, a meatless sausage roll.

A contradiction in terms, you might think, but the vegan roll, launched last January by Greggs, Britain’s biggest baker, is a huge success and contributed to a bumper 58 per cent profit increase for the chain in the first six months of this year.

Snack specialists Greggs are known for their meaty specialities, including burgers and pies, so the success of the vegan roll surprised enthusiastic carnivores. However, the public response is in line with recent eating trends here.

Some two per cent of Britons are estimated to be vegans – people who strictly renounce all animal products, while four per cent are vegetarians, who might eat such products as eggs or milk. Plus, recent polls show that no fewer than 52 per cent of Britons are reducing their consumption of meat.

Reasons given are concern for animals, personal health and care for the environment. A series of influential reports have said that avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way consumers can reduce their environmental impact on the planet, because farming animals is such a CO2-intensive process.

“It is extremely encouraging to learn how many Britons are choosing to reduce their consumption of animal products,” said Nick Palmer, head of Compassion in World Farming UK.

“Science proves that the healthiest diet is one that is plant-heavy. By eating less meat, fish, eggs and dairy, we can all help people, animals and the planet.”

A Vegan Society spokesperson said a recent survey showed that there were 600,000 vegans in Great Britain in 2018, with the number quadrupling over the past four years.

“Veganism is an increasingly popular lifestyle for people who care about animals and the environment or want to improve their health,” she said.

Describing their vegan sausage roll, Greggs say that like its meat predecessor, the new roll has 96 layers of light puff pastry. But instead of being moulded around sausage meat, the pastry encases its own meat substitute mycoprotein filling. So what did my vegan roll taste like? Cross my heart and wish to die if I ever tell a lie… delicious!

Talking of food choices, here’s a cautionary tale. A teenager has gone blind after living on a diet of chips and potato crisps, with occasional white bread.

Eye doctors in Bristol said the 17-year-old youth developed severe vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition damage after going on his personal regimen since leaving primary school.

Dr Denize Atan said, “His diet was essentially a portion of chips from the local fish and chips shop every day. He also used to snack on crisps (Pringles) and sometimes white bread and occasional slices of ham, but not really any fruit or vegetables.”

The physician said his sight loss met the criteria for being registered blind. “He had blind spots right in the middle of his vision. He can’t drive and would find it really difficult to read, watch television or discern faces.”

The youth said he had an aversion to the textures of certain foods and chips and crisps were the only foods he could tolerate.

More schools in England are setting up food banks for their pupils, according to the National Governance Association.

The national increase was from seven per cent to eight per cent but in some areas, provision was higher, such as the Northeast, where the figure was 13 per cent.

Some schools, while not running regular food banks, provide food parcels on a more occasional basis. Others offer welfare services such as washing pupils’ clothes and uniforms. Two per cent of nursery schools reported providing emergency loans to parents.

Mr Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers’ union, noted that “schools faced rising levels of poverty” and said, “It is a shameful situation in a country that is among the wealthiest in the world.”

Emma Knights, chief executive of the National Governance Association, said, “There is an increasing demand on schools to take responsibility for more areas of children’s life than simply their education.

“School staff have an increased burden of providing welfare services because of chronic underfunding and cuts to local council services.”

Can anyone beat this as an excuse for a late train? “This train has been delayed by train crew being delayed by service disruption.”

Maybe this? “Delays ahead are due to a topless rapper filming an audition video on the track.”

Or this: “There is a trampoline blocking the line. Please secure garden furniture/trampolines if you live near the railway.”

Or finally this, surely unique for Britain: “We are having issues dispatching trains because of strong sunshine this morning.”