It’s enough to make a hardened brickie weep into his paper napkin. Greggs the baker has shrunk its Steak Bakes. And its bacon rolls. And its donuts. It’s even lopped 5% off its good old Cornish pasties.

To make matters worse, it’s also nudged up its prices. It won’t say exactly by how much, beyond admitting to “minor increases”. But with the ‘pasty tax’ row still fresh in the memory, it’s a surprising move from the people’s champion.

Perhaps it’s unfair to judge Greggs too harshly, though. It’s just another victim of rampant commodity price hikes on flour, beef, chicken and pork - a nightmare for a savoury specialist like Greggs.

“With its ‘Pastygate’ victory still fresh, Greggs’ move is surprising”

James Halliwell, senior features writer

So it’s faced with a stark choice. Whack up the prices or slim down the products? It’s probably being quite sensible by doing a little bit of both.

It has been a bit cheeky, though. In March it relaunched the Steak Bake, promising “even more prime steak”. But according to its own website, the new version contains 15% less protein than before. Hmm.

Wisely, it’s left its sausage rolls well alone. That’s just as well. It’s been a while since there were riots in the streets.

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