Are sausage rolls and Champagne the perfect match?

The latest marketing stunt by UK high street food-to-go retailer Greggs has seen it partner with department store Fenwick on a Champagne bar. But is this a match made in heaven? db investigates.

Vegan sausage rolls and Valentine’s Day offers going viral, partnering with retailer Primark, advent calendars…the question with regards to Greggs’ tabloid and social media-driven marketing strategy has always been “where next”?

Well, it turns out the unexpected answer is a 1920s-themed Parisian Champagne bar in Newcastle, apparently.

Fenwick’s

Situated in Fenwick’s flagship department store in the city, the bar opened on 24 October and has a “curated” collection of Proseccos and Champagnes, which have been matched with the Greggs range of hot snacks.

Speaking to the drinks business, a spokesperson for Greggs said the Champagnes were a “perfect” combination with their products: “Bollinger Special Cuvée, with its rich fruit and creamy brioche notes, perfectly complements the savoury flavours of a Greggs sausage roll, creating a unique blend of indulgence and comfort.

“The hearty, savoury richness of a Greggs steak bake, creates a refined yet bold flavour, perfectly complements Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque. Its floral aromas and delicate notes of white fruit and honey make this a perfect duo.”

Menu

This menu includes the iconic sausage roll – including the vegan variant – as well as its other staple items that are usually found in its other high street outlets, including the cheese and onion bake, the steak bake, chicken bake and sausage, bean and cheese melt.

Each of the dishes are “specially adapted by Fenwick Executive Head Chef Mark Reid to add a bit of je ne sais quoi“. In practice, this means the infamous pastries are accompanied with a variety of sauces.

The chef-created elements include a hot honey sauce with the sausage, harissa coconut yoghurt with the vegan variant, romesco sauce and almonds with the cheese and onion, peppercorn aioli with the steak, katsu curry sauce and pickled cucumber with the chicken bake, and bloody mary ketchup with the sausage, bean and cheese melt.

Perfectly paired

The food retailer also said there was “no need” to be a “Champagne connoisseur” or “try to figure out what ‘fruity notes’ means”, as it had “perfectly paired” the menu with the “very best glasses of bubbly to “make your Greggs experience something extra special”.

It said that it was “widely known” that a sausage roll is “infinitely better with a glass of Perrier-Jouët”. The wine, which is adorned with the infamous flowers on the bottle from Art Nouveau artist Émile Gallé, has been produced since 1969. It is available at the bar for £55 a glass or £295 a bottle with the Greggs pastries.

Writing about the critically-acclaimed 2012 vintage’s Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs, db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW said the fizz was “wonderfully creamy and piercingly fresh, with a core of ripe yellow fruit, grilled nuts and roasted coffee, and a finish that makes your mouth water, with chalk and citrus zest characters lingering long after you’ve swallowed this fine fizz.”

The cheapest glass and bottle is the Prosecco Ca di Alte, which it is selling for a tenner by the glass or £37 for the bottle. At the other end of the spectrum, and for the truly indulgent experience, a bottle of Cristal with your sausage roll will set you back £425.

The full list of Proseccos and Champagnes includes:

• Prosecco Ca di Alte
• Rosé Prosecco Ca di Alte
• Gremillet Brut Champagne
• Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut
• Bollinger Rosé Brut
• Laurent Perrier Rosé
• Rare Champagne Millesime
• Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque
• Louis Roederer Cristal

Sweet things

It isn’t only Champers and Prosecco though if you fancy something else to wash down the rolls. The bar has also created a number of signature cocktails, which are inspired by favourite Greggs sweet pastries.

The cocktails include:

• Yum Yum Twist: a sweet, sugar-glazed cocktail crafted with rum and real Yum Yums
• Cream Éclair: featuring vanilla vodka and dark chocolate liqueur
• Peach Melba: (non-alcoholic) a refreshing blend of peach and cream
• Pink Jammie Fizz: the return of the signature cocktail by Mother Mercy

The bar is open until the end of December from 11.30am until 6pm, and closes at 7pm on Thursdays and 4pm on Sundays.

db has reached out to Greggs for further comment.