Greggs Stilton bake becomes its second-biggest launch

A Greggs pastry filled with Stilton cheese has become its second-biggest launch ever, beaten only by its Festive Bake, the retailer said.The high street chain said it sold more than half a million Steak & Stilton bakes in the first week after the launch.In an advertising gamble, Greggs offered its customers the option of swapping the Stilton bake for a standard Steak Bake free of charge if they did not enjoy the taste of the cheese.Just 0.4% of the Stilton bakes were returned, Greggs said.Greggs offered customers the option of swapping the Stilton bake but few took up the offer (Mike Egerton/PA)PA ArchiveThe bake is filled with diced beef in gravy, blue Stilton cheese and grilled onions, wrapped in puff pastry and topped with a black-pepper crumb.Greggs previously sold a Stilton-flavoured bake seven years ago.Zoe Harris, customer director at Greggs, said: “The debate around Stilton is clearly far from over, but we gave the nation a get-out clause and almost nobody used it.“With hundreds of thousands of bakes sold in just one week and just 0.4% returned, it’s clear that plenty of customers were willing to take a chance on Stilton.”The strong-flavoured blue cheese can be made only in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire. It is streaked through with bluish-green veins, the result of cultivating Penicillium roqueforti mould as it matures.