I ate nothing but Greggs for a day, it was the best day of my life

Here at Lancaster University Greggs is a staple, whether it’s that bacon sandwich that gives you the kick you need to get ready for your nine am seminar, the steak bake that made coming to campus for a pointless lecture worth it or the chocolate muffin that gives you the sugar kick you need to mentally prepare for an exam. As far as I was concerned, Greggs, especially our own campus one, provide us with the food we need when we need it, so I decided to test that theory in the wake of online learning and have Greggs for the whole day, whether I thought I needed it or not.

Breakfast

Obviously I started with breakfast, which I thought I would go the extra mile for and head to campus. I went for the apple and cinnamon porridge to prepare myself for my oncoming day of pastry and bread and to my surprise, despite looking a bit like dirty water, it was nice, and yes, I brought my own spoon because I don’t like the taste of splinters the wooden one provides.

I was going to get an apple to go along with this but in the wake of 2020 the fruit basket on the counter that I would typically ignore is no longer there, so I panic bought the first thing I saw and got myself a pain au chocolat. The pain au chocolat gave me the excuse I needed to eat chocolate for breakfast. I washed this down with a green tea that was the caffeine kick I needed, admittedly I was almost sick when I was asked if I wanted it with milk. A brilliant start to the day.

Dinner

For dinner I went for a classic, it was my first Greggs in a while and I was going to start strong and so I went for the cheese and onion bake, it was delicious. To pair with the pasty I continued to go strong and went for a vanilla slice, this really hit the spot, it was delicious, creamy and well worth the calories that were consumed.

Dinner

The dinner I chose could be a cause for controversy as I went for what I consider easily the best sandwich that Greggs provides, the Mature Cheddar Cheese Ploughmans Oval Bite, the salad filling provided a welcome change from the stodge that had been consumed up to this point and the cheese and pickle gave me just the kick I needed.

I couldn’t finish the day without another Greggs classic and unfortunately, because I’m vegetarian I couldn’t go for the steak bake or regular sausage roll and went for the vegan sausage roll. Contrary to what appearance suggests it was amazing, and I consider it to be 10 times nicer than the regular one, and as a bonus it was free thanks to my status as a student, one of the few good things about being a student in 2020. I kept going strong with my drink and went for the sparkling cloudy lemonade which needs no comment, it was as tangy and refreshing as it always is.

Snacks

Now, I couldn’t go for a day eating only Greggs without trying some of the snacks available, so at half three when the hunger hit again I decided to try out one of the healthier options provided from Greggs and get a fruit pot. As I arrived however, I was hit with the realisation that there weren’t any available in store. Did this stop me from getting a snack? Of course not. So I got some of Greggs’ own Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar Hand Cooked Crisps, were they nice? Undoubtedly, were they worth £0.70, the 25-minute round trip and battling my way through groups of school kids because I’d forgotten what time it was? I still haven’t made up my mind on that one.

A couple of hours passed, and the hunger hit again so I decided that it was time to break into the caramel shortbreads that I’d bought with my dinner. I bought a pack of four under the notion that I was going to share them with my housemates but as soon as I tasted one that nice idea went straight out the window, the sickliness aside, they were utter heaven.

So what did I learn from my day of only eating foods from Greggs? Honestly, it was one of the highlights of my second week back at university, partly due to the food and partly due to the pandemic meaning there isn’t much else to feel excited for.

I felt satisfied, I wasn’t lying in bed thinking about breakfast, I’m not going to lie I felt a bit sick, and I did have a massive bloat on, the lack of fruit and veg I ate and the balance of carbs and fat to every other food category being severely outweighed took its toll on my body. But did I enjoy myself? Yes I did. Would I do it again? Yes I would.

Greggs is a northern staple and a key part of the Lancaster University experience and with everything that’s going on in the present we’ve got to enjoy the little things in life, like having Greggs for every meal. My total spending for the day was also only £11.85, around £6 cheaper than the isolation boxes provided by the university, which has proven my theory that Greggs care more about students than anyone else.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Why Greggs is the best place to eat on campus

Tipple stands with ‘#CancelTheCurfew’ after 30 per cent revenue loss

Lancs Labour Club are providing £10 emergency food boxes for self-isolating students