IT wouldn't be Christmas without a Greggs Vegan Festive Bake.

Okay, I am being facetious but for the last few years supermarkets and chain cafes have really pushed their plant-based Christmas fare.

This year, the purveyor of the popular vegan sausage roll has created a new pastry featuring savoury flavour Quorn mycoprotein pieces, sage and onion stuffing balls and vegan bacon crumb with sage and cranberry sauce.

As the sole Worcester News editorial team vegan™ I was sent off to try the new bake on its first day for sale. It's a tough job and all that.

I took my fellow digital journalist Frankie Rudland with me to give an omnivore's opinion on it and headed off to the city's new - and larger - Greggs on the High Street.

There are often long queues outside both Greggs cafes in Worcester and even the bigger shop in what was the old Pret a Manger has a line.

It looks very much like the old Pret inside with an upstairs dining area and a few chairs and tables on the ground floor too.

A bit more upmarket than your standard Greggs.

With it being the first day of the festive bake there were a few worries it may have sold out but behind the glass case was row upon row of the golden pastry.

We began to tuck in and while it was served piping hot and the pastry was nice and flaky the whole experience was underwhelming.

Of course, I wasn't expecting the pastry equivalent of a Christmas dinner at a fancy restaurant.

But Frankie pointed out it tasted like a mushed up turkey dinner with an overbearing taste of cranberries and he was spot on.

Worcester News:

The overriding taste is the sage and onion and the cranberries which wasn't so bad when it was piping hot.

Perhaps the scorched tastebuds masked the flavour, but as it cooled the less I enjoyed it.

In fact, I left the last third though Frankie managed to plough his way through his.

Would I have it again? I don't want to sound like the Grinch but probably not.

It is great that big chains cater to different dietary needs and I am sure there are plenty of people who will love it.

But Be the Change cafe is just around the corner in the Cornmarket and I would much prefer their delicious cakes and sandwiches.