Whether it’s popcorn chicken, bargain buckets or the Tower Burger, the clue is in the name – KFC is famous for its poultry dishes.
Now, the fast food brand is taking a dip in uncharted waters in launching a ‘seriously flavoursome’ new dish – and this time, it’s not actually chicken-based.
KFC is teaming up with British bakery faves Greggs to launch a sausage roll drenched in gravy, in a move that’s been dubbed nothing short of the ‘culinary crossover of the century.’
Over the last year, Britons have consumed an impressive daily average of 15,000 litres of KFC gravy and more than 1,000,000 Greggs sausage rolls.
Following its launch, the flavour mash-up will be taking a three-day tour across the UK this week, with free samples handed out at London’s Southbank Centre on August 7, as well as in Manchester’s St Anne’s Square on August 8 and Newcastle’s Times Square on August 9.
Thought that was all? A sharing bucket featuring six sausage rolls and a large tub of the coveted gravy will also be on offer for £10 through Uber Eats – but you’ll need to be quick, as it’ll only be available on August 15 and August 16 in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.
It was actually the fans who inspired this ‘once-in-a-lifetime event,’ many of whom go to ‘obsessive lengths’ for a mere taste of the ‘liquid gold.’
‘At KFC, we bleed gravy,’ said KFC’s brand manager Phoebe Syms, noting that there had long been calls for the fried chicken chain to unite for a sausage roll collab.
‘With 96 layers of light puff pastry, and perfectly baked to give that satisfying golden crisp and flaky goodness, we’ve always known our sausage rolls are a true British icon. And why not pair one icon with another?’ said Fiona Mills, brand communications lead at Greggs.
How is KFC gravy made?
KFC fans were previously surprised to learn that the gravy-making process has an unusual extra step.
In the Channel 4 documentary Inside KFC At Christmas, which aired in 2020, one team member revealed that the salty sauce is actually produced using the leftover juices and crackling from the bottom of the chicken fryers.
‘You get the crackling and then three and a half litres of cold water. Two scoops of crackling. You get your juices off your chicken and then you get your magic ingredient,’ Anne explained.
‘There’s nothing on the packet to tell you what’s in the magic ingredients,’ she said. ‘Pour that in there, whisk it up so it’s nice and smooth and all the bits are all mixed up. Voila.’
Culinary fans have long been going left-field on their choice of dipping sauces – and gravy has often been touted as a popular choice.
Over on the r/UK_Food Subreddit, @Deep_Ad_9889 confessed to loving a ‘good thick gravy’ to dunk their homemade sausage rolls in – and even preferred it to ketchup.
@Banes_Addiction also reckoned the snack is best served up with a ‘pot of gravy for dipping,’ while another Redditor previously debated the importance of sauce in levelling up the sausage roll experience.
@its_brew came up with a few alternative suggestions, including Frank’s hot sauce with a little bit of butter melted into it, as well as a ‘dash of vinegar and some honey.’ Microwave it for five seconds et voila, you’ve got ‘buffalo sausage rolls.’
‘What kind of person doesn’t have ketchup and at least one spare bottle,’ @MajorMany7618 added, while @sirfive_al was a brown sauce advocate and @DirectSpeaker3441 believed in the power of a ‘light sprinkle of salt’ rather than a full-blown dip. To each their own, we guess.
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