Yahoo News Luxury cruise ship puts in huge order for Greggs sausage rolls as a 'culinary highlight' of British food
Greggs’ famous sausage rolls have become a culinary delicacy – a must-try for foodie travellers, it would seem.
The baker received a bulk order for its treats for passengers on board the Azamara Journey cruise ship when it stopped in the Port of Tyne for the first time on Monday.
When the 690-passenger luxury vessel pulled in, its guests were treated to a bumper delivery of the well-known chain's sausage rolls, vegan sausage rolls and the north east delicacy of Stottie Cake (a type of bread that originated in the region).
The stop near Newcastle Upon Tyne was part of a 10-day Cultural and Culinary cruise through Europe.
Its Norwegian captain Johannes Tysse said: “Our UK crew told us that a visit to Newcastle wouldn’t be complete without a taste of Greggs as a culinary ‘must-try’, and that for European travellers it joins the echelons of British food icons alongside Fish & Chips, Afternoon Tea and the Sunday Roast. We were all very impressed and even got a cheer.”
The ship’s cruise director Lee Hetherington, who is from the north-east, had enthusiastically recommended the Greggs menu to the ship’s crew, which encouraged Tysse to make the order before the ship reached the port.
Workers at Greggs' Newcastle Grainger Street branch prepared the delivery in the early hours ready for the expectant cruise passengers.
Port of Tyne CEO Matt Beeton said that the port had often helped cruise passengers find a good pub or a place to enjoy fish and chips, but added that sourcing “a boat load of stottie cakes and sausage rolls” was certainly a first.
It's further evidence of a snack which has soared in popularity in recent years. Indeed, at a time when many British high-street chains are failing, Greggs is an unlikely success story. It will open its 2,000th shop, in South Shields, on Friday, fresh from posting a 58 per cent surge in profits and a near 11 per cent rise in like-for-like sales in the first half of the year. That’s after breaking through the £1 billion sales barrier in 2018.
The perhaps surprising catalyst? Its vegan sausage roll. The Telegraph's Sue Quinn has just interviewed Greggs' CEO Roger Whiteside on how he pulled it off, and sold his brand to the middle class.
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