I’ve been planning this quest for some time, so it was with a jaunty and lilting gait that I strode all the way to Easter Road to sample Greggs new hot sandwich range.

I won’t lie to you: I have a thumping hangover, today, after a family night out ended up in the horrors of Espionage, last night. A stop at the all-night bakery on the way home, for steak pie, was the only sustenance that was taken all evening, so I was feeling incredibly hungover-hungry, as well. So, while my taste-buds may not have been in brilliant fettle, my appetite was certainly keen.

Not all the Greggs stores do this new hot sandwich malarkey, hence the reason for the walk to Easter Road. On my happy trails, I saw two solitary, sorrowful magpies, both of which I saluted, and a scampering squirrel, too. I want more animals on our future quests, starting with a pony, a unicorn, and a dinosaur.

I digress. Greggs are clearly keen to diversify, and pinch some customers from Subway, with their new range. You have the usual things you’d expect from a hot sandwich selection (tuna melt, chicken club, mozzarella and tomato), with my choice, the meatball melt, the healthiest option at a measly 380 calories.

The sandwich came pre-wrapped in brown paper, meaning I couldn’t get a good look at it, before I commenced shoving it faceward. This, coupled with its suspicious lightness, set off alarm bells in my head. I had assumed that a hot sandwich would negate the need for additional baked goods that their conventional temperature sandwiches usually demand. I resisted the impulse to augment things, sticking solely with the sandwich.

I trundled back towards my work, feeling a little guilty for walking past the Manna House, in favour of this inauspicious looking item. I’ll pop in to the Manna House soon, though.

Upon my return to my desk, I cautiously opened the packaging and my suspicions were somewhat confirmed. It was a little underwhelming, a little little, and didn’t set my heart racing in quite the way I’d hoped it would. Upon eating, things improved. The roll itself wasn’t brilliant, but the filling was plentiful and tasty. It could have used a little more cheese to give it more of a melty texture, but it was pretty satisfying and filling enough on its own.

Overall, I feel I’ll need to sample another one from the range to reach a definitive position, but for now, I don’t think this is going to elevated to the pantheon of Greggs goodness, to sit alongside the steak bake and the macaroni pie. Nor is it quite good enough to pinch a significant chunk of Subway’s business. But it is a good notion, Greggs are outstandingly good at refining and improving their range of products, and it is priced very competitively, so I will look on with interest as to how the range develops.

Today’s Lunch Quester was: Blythe

I wore: Blue tie with gold checks.

I ate: Meatball melt baguette

I drank: Nothing (I’d had a cuppa, shortly before lunch)

Total Bill: £2.10