Food

Bakery apologises for swapping Jesus for sausage roll

Christians threaten to boycott Greggs bakery after sausage roll placed in Nativity scene

Greggs advertisement: The three wise men and the sausage roll in a manger. Photograph: PA

Dominique McMullan
Thu Nov 16 2017 - 09:49

UK bakery chain Greggs has apologised for offending Christians after replacing Jesus with a sausage roll in a Nativity scene.

The scene depicts three wise men gathered around a manger but rather than looking down upon the baby Jesus, they gaze upon a half-eaten sausage roll.

The image, released to promote Greggs advent calendar, sparked criticism from Twitter users and religious groups.

A Greggs spokesperson told The Irish Times: "We're really sorry to have caused any offence. This was never our intention."

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Simon Richards, chief executive of the Freedom Association called for the public to boycott the bakery and claimed the advent calendar was “sick” and “anti-Christian”.

He tweeted “Please boycott @GreggsOfficial to protest against its sick anti-Christian advent calendar. What cowards these people are: we all know that they would never dare insult other religions! They should donate every penny of their profits to @salvationarmyuk”

Rev Mark Edwards, a vicar in Brunswick, UK, also called for boycott of the chain. He told chroniclelive.co.uk: “Perhaps we should vote with our feet - perhaps we should say, don’t go to Greggs.”

He added “To replace Jesus with a half-eaten sausage roll is just going to the lowest common denominator, and I’m disappointed with Greggs.”

Another twitter user Beth Rosenberg, said: “Out of interest do you think the people at Greggs understand that Jesus was Jewish and serving up a pork sausage roll in the manger is unbelievably inappropriate?”

Some twitter users however, have been seeing the funny side.

Barry Darkins (@kingofsawbo) said "I'm outraged that Jesus has been replaced by a sausage roll.....should have been a Festive bake!"
Elise (@elbroadley_) said "The fact that people are fuming cos Greggs replaced baby Jesus for a sausage roll in their advent calendar, just makes me love Greggs even more"
And Sean (@csi_bletchley) was moved to rewrite the lyrics of Once In Royal David's City,
"Once in royal David's city
Stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for his bed"
Mary was that mother mild
Sausage Roll, her little child #Greggs"

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