Nigella Lawson to star in Greggs' Christmas ad after 'sausage roll snub' drama

Greggs has roped in celebrity chef and cookbook author Nigella Lawson for its first-ever Christmas ad, in which she raves about the high street chain’s festive food. The ad features Lawson returning to her fairy-light-adorned home with a Christmas tree decorated with Greggs baubles before she describes the "rapturous riot of flavour" of the chain’s "festive bake" pastry.

She says: "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," before taking a bite of one. The final scene shows a kitchen table filled with items from the Greggs Christmas menu, ending on a platter of vegan festive bakes.

Despite recent reports suggesting that Lawson declined to endorse the chain’s famous sausage rolls, Greggs said these reports were "inaccurate", adding that the campaign with Lawson was to promote the Christmas menu, and she had never been asked to endorse its sausage rolls. Lawson said: "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."

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"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 captivated a vast number of fans since her debut cookbook 'How To Eat' in 1998, continuing through to her 2020 offering 'Cook, Eat, Repeat', along with their associated TV programmes. Meanwhile, Greggs has reported a significant sales surge of over 10% in recent weeks as it forges ahead with its UK expansion strategy.

The beloved bakery chain has launched more than 150 new shops this year, boasting nearly 2,560 outlets serving up its famed baked goods across the country by the end of September. In a bold move last month, Greggs unveiled its inaugural champagne bar where patrons can indulge in the finest fizz paired with an array of bakes and rolls.

This luxurious experience is housed within Fenwick's Newcastle store, having opened its doors on October 24, and will welcome customers until the close of December. The bar's offerings range from a modest £10 glass of Ca’ di Alte Prosecco to the opulent £75 glass of Louis Roederer Cristal, which is also available by the bottle for those willing to splurge £425.

This follows the success of Greggs' first "fine dining" bistro at the same location last year, where more than 8,000 diners enjoyed the chain's renowned festive bake accompanied by duck fat roast potatoes, smoked pancetta, chestnuts, and sprouts over the span of a month. Greggs' eagerly anticipated festive menu will be available in stores nationwide from Thursday.