Nigella Lawson stars in first ever Greggs Christmas advert for iconic festive bake

Greggs has made a striking move by tapping Nigella Lawson, the celebrity chef famed for her luxurious recipes and stylish cookery shows, as the star of its first-ever Christmas advertisement. Lawson appears in the festive ad returning to her home, which twinkles with fairy lights and features a Christmas tree decked out with Greggs decorations.

She relishes the "rapturous riot of flavour" in the bakery chain's seasonal Festive Bake, taking a bite and stating: "Succulent filling, creamy sauce, all wrapped up in the flakiest of flaky pastries, in one or both hands, say hello to the Greggs festive bakes.".

The camera then sweeps over a table filled with items from the Greggs Christmas range, ending on the vegan festive bakes platter.

Recent rumours claimed Lawson had refused to promote the famous Greggs sausage rolls, but the bakery brand labelled these reports as "inaccurate", clarifying that the partnership with Lawson was centred around the Christmas range, noting she was never approached to endorse the sausage rolls.

Nigella has expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating: "As a longtime fan of Greggs, and especially their sausage rolls, I’m thrilled to be collaborating with them to celebrate the return of the iconic Christmas menu. Greggs brings joy wherever and whenever you choose to enjoy it, and I’m delighted to be sharing this with the nation this Christmas."

Nigella Lawson has garnered a dedicated following since her 1998 debut cookbook 'How To Eat', continuing up to her 2020 work 'Cook, Eat, Repeat', not to mention the accompanying television programs. Meanwhile, high-street bakery giant Greggs has shared that its sales soared by more than 10% recently, fuelled by the company's ambitious UK expansion plan.

In the current year alone, Greggs has opened more than 150 new shops, reaching nearly 2,560 outlets dispensing its popular baked goods across the nation as of the end of September. Last month witnessed the launch of the firm's inaugural champagne bar, where patrons can indulge in premium champagnes paired with a selection of the chain's staple bakes and rolls.

Situated within Fenwick’s Newcastle store - which is preparing to unveil its annual Christmas window display - since October 24, the bar will stay open right through until the end of December, offering an array of libations from a modestly priced £10 glass of Ca’ di Alte Prosecco to the more extravagant £75 serving of Louis Roederer Cristal, which is also available by the bottle for £425. This follows last year's successful pilot of a “fine dining” bistro at the same venue, where over 8,000 customers enjoyed a reimagined festive bake complete with duck fat roast potatoes, smoked pancetta, chestnuts, and sprouts.

The announcement comes just as Greggs prepares to roll out this year’s festive menu in its stores nationwide, starting from Thursday.