Customers were queuing up outside of the Greggs store on Houndmills Road on Friday afternoon to try the controversial pasty which has been blowing up on social media.

The vegan steak bake is a latest product released by the bakery chain in their new line of vegan substitutes to rival their meat-free sausage roll which was introduced in January last year.

Customers were waiting upwards of fifteen minutes for the desired delicacy and is already predicted to double the sales of their previous vegan options.   

Customer assistant, Amy, from Basingstoke, said: “This is the busiest I have seen the shop in ages, normally we have a lot less customers than this.

She told the Gazette: “They’re very popular, this is the second batch we’ve sold in the past hour or so.”

Basingstoke Gazette: Greggs reported that their vegan sausage rolls was one of their best selling products in the last six years.Greggs reported that their vegan sausage rolls was one of their best selling products in the last six years.

The company’s development team ‘have been working for months’ on the meat-free recipe, with both vegan and non-vegan taste testers judging the trial bakes.

They launched the much-anticipated pasty on January 2 after months of speculation, which is available in selected stores across the country before expanding to a further 700 shops in two weeks’ time.

Chief Executive at Greggs, Roget Whiteside, said: “Our vegan sausage roll launch was a huge success and we’ve been working tirelessly to expand our vegan friendly offering and provide more delicious savoury food on-the-go options for people looking to reduce their meat intake.

“The launch of our vegan steak bake is another key milestone on our journey to become our customers’ favourite for food-on-the-go. We look forward to hearing the feedback.”

In order to get your hands on the plant-based product, Greggs have launched a vegan steak bake finder to help fans track it down in stores closest to them.