Few things in life bring as much joy as a steaming hot pasty, freshly purchased from your go-to bakery.

Whether it's a weekly habit or an occasional indulgence, everyone has their beloved baked treat, ranging from the timeless sausage roll to the unbeatable combination of sausage, bean, and cheese melt.

You're never very far from the nearest branch of Greggs, so it's no surprise that our team is comprised of Greggs enthusiasts.

However, we were interested to discover that rival bakery chain Poundbakery has revamped its recipes, boldly asserting that they now rival those of Greggs.

In the interest of culinary exploration, we pitted some of the most sought-after items from both chains against each other, and a clear victor emerged across the board. .

One of our tasters said: "I've not eaten at Poundbakery since I had an encounter with a particularly sad looking sausage roll, so I was intrigued to know what the new 'improved' offerings were like.

"I tried the cheese and onion pasty, which was the perfect temperature to tuck straight into.

"The filling was generous and tasty, the pastry light and golden, but strong enough to not let the soft cheese filling leak out.

"I didn't find many 'bits' of onion in the filling, but that didn't detract from the overall mouthfeel.

"By comparison, I found the Greggs cheese and onion pasty to have an odd aftertaste, unlike any cheese I've ever eaten.

"The pastry was flaky and thicker than the Poundbakery pasty, and while the filling was far more generous, it just gave me more of that odd almost chemical flavour from the cheese. Of the two, I vastly preferred the Poundbakery pasty and will definitely be buying another soon."

Another said: "The Poundbakery cheese and onion pasty was very creamy. The onion wasn't too overpowering and matched well with the mature taste of the cheese.

"The Greggs cheese and onion pasty was much stronger in taste, with the onion too overpowering for my liking and the cheese tasted a bit synthetic."

The cheese and onion pasty emerged as the top choice among our taste testers, with one particularly discerning critic saying: "As a vegetarian, the quality of a cheese and onion pasty is something I take extremely seriously. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste, the golden, puffed up pastry and the all-round 'scrummability' of the new and improved Poundbakery offering, which I munched down with reckless abandon.

"I have to say, it made the Greggs pasty that followed feel like a real second-class baked good. This was a shock for me as a lifelong Greggs customer. I will now have to take some time out and seriously reflect on my pasty plans going forward."

Another said: "I thought the Poundbakery pasty was superior to the Greggs one. The cheese was nice and tangy and the taste was better overall. However, the appearance of the Poundbakery pasty was a bit flat, and the pastry on the Greggs pasty was slightly better."

• Poundbakery jumbo cheese and onion pasty: £1.75
• Greggs cheese and onion bake: £2.35

One avid food critic said: "If there's one savoury product Greggs should be ahead of the rest with, it's the sausage, cheese and bean melt. It's my first choice any time I visit and for me it would be very, very hard to beat.

"The Poundbakery version is, to give it full credit, heavier on the sausage. But for me it's the cheese and beans which really make the classic taste combination sing, and I'd have to say I prefer the Greggs interpretation on this basis alone.

"The sausage is like the characters of Gavin and Stacey in the BBC sitcom - the whole thing doesn't work without them at its heart, but it's the other ingredients you're really there for.

"Poundbakery's version is definitely a worthy effort but on this one Greggs just has the edge."

One customer shared his verdict, saying: "Sausage, bean and cheese from Poundbakery had plenty of filling, although could have been cheesier.

"I think it's neck and neck with Greggs, although Poundbakery was slightly less flavoursome. The pastry wasn't as greasy as I would have expected from a pasty."

• Poundbakery jumbo sausage, bean and cheese pasty: £1.75
• Greggs sausage, bean and cheese melt: £2.40

One reviewer said: "My experience with the Poundbakery steak bake began badly. The first few bites, which promised so much, delivered so little.

"It was not until my third bite that I got to any of the meaty filling - it all had all seemingly sunk to the other end. The crispy and buttery pastry was enjoyable but I was missing the steak and gravy - the main event.

"Fortunately, the bake got better as it went on - a rare thing in the snack world. The disappointing early bites meant that each subsequent bite got better, with a rich and satisfying steak filling becoming increasingly prominent.

"By the end, what was left of the pastry was bursting under the weight of the filling. It was very enjoyable and I would say it was just as good as a steak bake from Greggs. When the price is brought into consideration, I'd choose Poundbakery every time."

• Poundbakery jumbo steak slice: £1.75
• Greggs steak bake: £2.40

In a blind taste test conducted by one of our reporters, two sausage rolls battled it out for the top spot, with one emerging as the undisputed champion.

He said: "There is a familiarity that comes with a Greggs sausage roll, the Ronseal of baked goods, you know what you're getting.

"If it had a football team, Sean Dyche would manage it. Yet the Poundbakery offering goes that little bit further, the crumblier pastry, the slight peppery taste of the meat that edges it over the solid if not slightly drab Greggs rival.

"The highest compliment I can pay to the Poundbakery roll is that it immediately reminded me of what we used to get from my local bakery as a kid growing up in Prescot that always felt a bit more interesting than an often cold, unloved Greggs product."

• Poundbakery sausage roll: £1
• Greggs sausage roll: £1.45

Our reviewer said: "It's the ultimate bad boy of savoury bakery treats. Bacon and cheese wrapped in flaky puff pastry is my guilty Greggs secret and my Friday morning go-to after a tough week at work.

"Could the revamped Poundbakery wrap compete? Well the answer is a resounding yes. It is definitely a bit greasier but when it comes to taste the Poundbakery combo wins hands down."

• Poundbakery bacon and cheese wrap: £1.75
• Greggs bacon and cheese wrap: £2.40