Giant Greggs eight-metre ‘Ta-Pastry’ unveiled ahead of National Sausage Roll Day

Greggs has unveiled a giant eight-metre-long “Ta-Pastry” celebrating the history of its famous sausage roll ahead of National Sausage Roll Day.

The enormous embroidered artwork, inspired by the legendary Bayeux Tapestry, tells the story of the bakery giant’s best-loved product through nearly a century of Greggs history.

Created by royal embroiderers Hawthorne & Heaney, the eye-catching display took more than 200 hours to complete and contains a staggering 5.5 million stitches.

The giant masterpiece is set to go on display at London’s Design Museum for two days only to mark National Sausage Roll Day on 5 June, as reported by Whats The Jam.

Inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, which is due to return to Britain later this year for the first time in almost 1,000 years, Greggs’ version charts the rise of the humble sausage roll through six illustrated chapters.

Greggs has unveiled a giant eight-metre-long Ta-Pastry celebrating the history of its famous sausage roll. (Jam Press/Greggs)

The artwork begins with founder John Gregg delivering bread by bicycle and ends with the modern-day fan frenzy surrounding the bakery chain.

Among the scenes stitched into the tapestry are the creation of the Greggs sausage roll during post-war rationing, England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, the London 2012 Olympics and the launch of the hugely popular Vegan Sausage Roll in 2019.

The tapestry also features nods to Greggs superfans, including a Newcastle United supporter who famously shaved a sausage roll into his hair and devotees of the chain’s blue-and-gold fashion collections.

Greggs said the artwork celebrates the enduring popularity of its signature snack, with around one million sausage rolls now sold every day.

The eight-metre embroidery was created using 13 different thread colours, including specially named shades Greggs Blue and Pastry Gold.

In total, the piece contains 5,521,238 stitches, 3,679 trims and more than 39,000 metres of thread.

Zoe Harris, customer director at Greggs, said: “The Greggs Sausage Roll is woven into the very fabric of British culture, which is why for National Sausage Roll Day we’ve partnered with master royal embroiderers and the Design Museum to create an 8-metre ‘Ta-Pastry’.

“Just as the Bayeux Tapestry captured a turning point in history, this 200-hour hand-stitched masterpiece is a fitting tribute to this much-loved British icon – because some legends deserve more than just a paper bag.”

Tim Marlow, chief executive and director at the Design Museum, added: “Greggs is a great British brand and what better way to mark National Sausage Roll Day than by immortalising this humble pastry in a tapestry?

“It will be unlike any other woven artwork ever created and a mouth-watering appetiser for the Bayeux mania to come.”

The Ta-Pastry will be on public display at the Design Museum in London on 5 and 6 June.