Tuck In I Went To Family-run Bakery Chain That’s ‘better Than Greggs’ With Enormous Sausage Rolls And 31 Shops 

WHEN fans of a family-run bakery said it was better than Greggs, I knew I had to pay it a visit.

Coughlans Bakery was founded by Jack Coughlan in Thornton Heath, south London, in 1937.

Since then the chain has grown to 31 branches across the south-east of England.

Last year comedian, actor and presenter Romesh Ranganathan even became a shareholder.

As the business has expanded it has quickly become a favourite with foodies, who have branded it better than bakery giant Greggs.

Eager to see whether it would live up to the hype, I visited its Crawley bakery.

Inside the shop is a large counter that is packed full of doughnuts, yum yums, cookies and croissants.

There’s a hot counter stocked with jumbo sausage rolls, pasties, chicken and steak bakes.

Meanwhile, at the far end is a make your own sandwich bar with ham, tuna mayonnaise, cheese and salad.

Sadly there’s no sign of Romesh today but he can sometimes be spotted behind the counter.

Sean Coughlan, the grandson of founder Jack, greets me with a large smile.

He currently runs the business with his sisters Virginia and Jacqueline.

It’s clear family is still at the heart of the business and Sean can’t help but share stories from his childhood as we chat.

He tells me: “As a family, we’ve always cooked. We’re very much a food-based family.

“Our bakery is right by Selhurst Park and one of my earliest memories with my dad is that we’d go to the football then pop into the bakery then go home.”

The family still runs the business and many of the pasties, bread and doughnuts are still made with the original recipes.

Sean tells me: “So many of our items are my grandparents’ recipes. 

“The most classic is our bread pudding. We sell thousands of them a week and they are still made with my nan’s recipe.”

The popular pasties are still made with his grandfather’s recipe.

Sean said: “When the business was based in Croydon the fruit vendor used to come by on a horse and cart. When they delivered he thought, ‘let’s make some pasties’ and he made our first.” 

Using locally-sourced ingredients is still an important part of the business.

All the vegetables used in the bakeries are hand-picked each morning from New Covent Garden Market in the heart of London.

Meanwhile, the flour used to make the delicious doughnuts and cakes is milled less than 40 miles away from the bakery.

The menu is updated weekly and there are usually two or three products added each month.

Today there’s a new Double Chocolate Cookie Dough Croissant, which costs £3.75.

Meanwhile, the Ranga Yum Yum is back on the menu after it flew off shelves when it first launched in May.

It’s lunchtime and a steady stream of customers enter the shop.

Outside a group of new mums enjoy a coffee and pastry as they chatter away.

Meanwhile, an elderly couple enjoy the first of the spring sun with their small dog.

Another customer orders a jumbo sausage roll on his lunch break.

Sean tells me it is still one of Coughlan’s best-sellers so I decide to give it a taste.

When I take a bite my mouth fills with the flaky pastry and soft sausage stuffing.

It tastes like a posh Greggs sausage roll and I would say the pastry is more flaky.

But it costs £3.55 – around £2.30 more than the Greggs version.

Next up was the Jumbo Plant Based Sausage Roll, which also costs £3.55.

The pastry tastes exactly the same as the meat version, which surprised me as the sausage roll is vegan.

Meanwhile, the filling is full of flavour, so I was shocked when Sean told me it is made with wheat instead of the usual soy.

I also put the Jumbo Sag Aloo sausage roll to the test.

I am partial to a Saag Aloo at my local curry house so I had high expectations for this sausage roll.

But it lived up to the hype and I enjoyed the blend of potato, spinach and herbs.

I could not leave without giving one of Jack Coughlan’s traditional pasties a go.

At £3.85 they’re certainly more expensive than you would pay at a high street bakery.

But the pastry is filled to the brim with onions, potatoes and a rich gravy sauce.

It’s not hard to see why the pasty has been popular for 88 years — it’s delicious.

I am also a fan of a steak bake so I was eager to get my hands on Coughlans steak and onion version.

Unlike other high street bakes this one is served hot, which makes it the perfect lunch during the colder months.

The pastry has the same flaky texture as the sausage rolls and melts in the mouth.

Although it costs £4.10 the bake is a substantial size, so you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck.

Coughlans Bakery is known for its doughnuts and I was impressed by its range of jam, fudge and apple crumble flavours.

The Biscoff and Cinnamon Crumble Doughnut caught my eye.

It costs £2 and comes with a Lotus biscuit on top.

I enjoyed the mix of cinnamon crunch and soft doughnut, which was more similar to a cronut than a traditional ring doughnut.

Next was the Pink Ring Doughnut, which is the same price.

This doughnut looks as good as it tastes and is definitely something I would order again.

I could not leave without trying one of Romesh’s creations.

The Ranga Yum Yum was one of the best-sellers when it launched last year.

It was created by Romesh Ranganathan and mixes a traditional Yum Yum treat with dark chocolate and a biscoff crumb.

I enjoyed the treat but found the mix of flavours a little overpowering.

Meanwhile, at £2.35 it is slightly more expensive than the doughnuts on offer.

Last up was the Double Chocolate Cookie Dough Croissant, which costs £3.75.

It mixes dark chocolate chip cookie dough with an all-butter croissant.

While I enjoy both ingredients separately I found the combination was not really to my taste.

The bakery is open from 7am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday and 8am to 4pm on a Sunday.

To get in contact with the store call 01293 241016.