Greggs Festive Bake 2022: when is Festive Bake and Vegan Festive Bake returning, plus festive brunches

Greggs has confirmed the exact date its popular Festive Bake will be returning to stores this year.

The fan-favourite Christmas treat has gained a cult following since its launch in 2008 and its return each year is often regarded as a sign the festive season has arrived.

Last year, the bakery chain launched a new vegan take on its seasonal classic which proved to be a hit as it is also making a comeback for 2022.

The bakery chain rolled out the meat-free option in response to customer demand to create more vegan-friendly options, following the success of its Vegan Sausage Roll.

When will the festive bake be available?

Greggs has said customers will be able to by the Festive Bake and Vegan Festive Bake in stores across the UK from Thursday 10 November. The baked goods will also be available by ordering ahead via Click+Collect on the Greggs App.

A Greggs spokesperson said the prices for the bakes will be released "next week", alongside a full festive menu. Last year, both versions of the bake cost £1.60.

When are the Festive Bake brunches?

The bakery chain is also launching three Festive Bake Brunches across the country this month to celebrate the return of its popular Christmas snacks. Fans can attend events in London on 12 November, Manchester on 19 November and Newcastle on 26 November.

Customers will be able to enjoy pastry platters, handcrafted cocktails including Greggspresso martinis and festive fizz, plus an array of Greggs sweet treats. Hunsnet will also be there to get the party started with a full DJ set and classic Christmas medleys.

Greggs will be unveiling a booking link for the events on its social media channels at 12pm on Friday 4 November.

What is inside the Festive bake?

The classic Festive Bake is filled with tasty pieces of chicken, sage and onion stuffing and sweetcure bacon, smothered in a creamy sage and cranberry sauce, and encased in crumb topped pastry.

Taking inspiration from the original recipe, the vegan version is filled with Quorn mycoprotein pieces, sage and onion stuffing and a vegan bacon crumb, finished with a sage and cranberry sauce, encased in delicious puff pastry. The original contains 453 calories, while the vegan bake contains 449 calories.

The launch of the vegan bake marked another addition to the on-the-go retailer’s increasingly popular vegan range, after its Vegan Sausage Roll proved to be a huge hit when it launched in 2019. The success led to the subsequent launch of the hearty Vegan Steak Bake in 2020 and the Vegan Sausage, Bean and CheeZe Melt that took customers by storm last summer.

Hannah Squirrell, customer director at Greggs, said when the Vegan Festive Bake launched last year: “The Festive Bake is the latest iconic Greggs Bake to receive a vegan-friendly makeover, and it retains all the classic Christmassy flavours of the original. There’s nothing better over the festive season than tucking into delicious Christmas food, and we’re confident that customers will love our latest tasty Bakes.”