The British high street is in decline. Assailed by rocketing rents, being undercut on price by online competitors, and weaker footfall than what was seen in a pre-ecommerce world, countless shops and eateries have had to close over the past two decades, and there’s more to come.
However, some beloved high street brands seem particularly unassailable in this climate, and Greggs and KFC are in that bracket.
Not only are these guys surviving, but they’re thriving. No matter the weather, we’re a nation of sausage and roll and fried chicken lovers, and that should see both brands through the tough times we’re living in.
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And now these two heavyweights are joining forces to create the ‘culinary crossover of the century’: a sausage roll drenched in gravy.
The high street food giants have worked together for the first time to offer the Greggs sausage roll with KFC gravy, claiming it is the “mash-up the nation’s been craving” and “seriously flavoursome”.
The brands said the alliance followed Britons consuming 15,000 litres of KFC gravy and more than one million Greggs sausage rolls every day over the past year.
They are taking the new combination on a three-day tour from Thursday, handing it out for free in London on 7 August 2025, followed by Manchester on 8 August, and Newcastle on 9 August.
A sharing bucket including six Greggs sausage rolls and a large tub of KFC gravy will be available for £10 on Friday August 15 and Saturday August 16 through Uber Eats in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham.
KFC brand manager Phoebe Syms said: “At KFC, we bleed gravy. We go to obsessive lengths for our liquid gold, and so do our fans.
“In fact, it was them who inspired this once-in-a-lifetime event, calling for us to partner with Greggs and unite our iconic gravy with their iconic sausage rolls.
“Now we’re joining forces for just a few days to give the people a taste of what they really want … it’s time for gravy to meet pastry. You’re welcome.”
Fiona Mills, brand communications lead at Greggs, said: “With 96 layers of light puff pastry, and perfectly baked to give that satisfying golden crisp and flaky goodness, we’ve always known our sausage rolls are a true British icon. And why not pair one icon with another?
“We can’t wait to see what Greggs and KFC fans make of our latest partnership. We’re sure fans of both brands will enjoy devouring their Greggs x KFC sharing bucket.”
The tour will stop at London’s Southbank Centre on Thursday, followed by Manchester’s St Anne’s Square on Friday and then Newcastle’s Times Square, all between 12pm and 5pm, with supplies available on a first come, first served basis.
Last week, Greggs revealed a slump in profits as it was knocked by hot weather and caution among shoppers over their finances.
The Newcastle-based business revealed that pre-tax profits fell by 14.3% to £63.5 million for the half-year to 28 June, compared with a year earlier.
It said the first half of 2025 was impacted by ‘challenging market footfall, more weather disruption than in 2024’ and increased costs.
Rachael Davis