Greggs – whose pasties may not be described as Cornish – has lost its only foothold in the county

William Holman declared himself a Cornishman through and through and vowed he would never be caught eating a Greggs pasty.

“Why would I do that?” asked Holman as he put in a hefty order at Polnoon Pasties in Saltash on the Cornish side of the River Tamar for himself, his wife, daughter and two-year-old grandson.

“I was brought up the son of a Cornish farmer. I’m used to pasties with proper, nourishing ingredients. I couldn’t imagine eating the Greggs version.”

The issue is a live one because despite Greggs having more than 1,700 shops across the UK, it no longer has one in the spiritual homeland of the Cornish pasty.

It did briefly get a foothold in Saltash on the very eastern edge of the county, opening one shop within a service station, but has beaten a retreat – dubbed Greggxit by some.

Jamie Kilpatrick, the owner of Polnoon Pasties, admitted that when Greggs arrived in 2018 he worried the sausage rolls might be a draw. “You keep seeing on the news that their sausage rolls are amazing. I wasn’t too worried about the pasties. Cornish people are very fond of our own pasties. But actually there was no impact at all.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jamie Kilpatrick at Polnoon Pasties. Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian

Kilpatrick has created his Cornish pasties from scratch for almost 20 years, having learned the art from his mother. The pastry is handmade and the meat – skirt beef – sourced locally. The only other ingredients allowed in a real Cornish pasty are swede, potato, onion and seasoning.

“People are used to the real deal here,” he said. “Once you’ve had a proper pasty it’s hard to make do with a mass-produced one. It may be cheaper but you’re not getting that quality. There’s a difference when you make them yourself.”

Kilpatrick makes pasties for pubs, clubs and churches. When the Guardian visited he was preparing a tray of “cocktail” sized pasties for a funeral. He produces up to 500 pasties a day and Christmas Eve is his busiest period.

Greggs might have struggled in Saltash because it is a rather crowded market. There are two other specialist pasty shops on the main drag, Fore Street.

In addition the Baker family – Steve, Stella and two of their sons – produce up to 2,000 pasties a week in a unit on the edge of town.

They sell them in their cafe, Bakers Coffee House, and Steve’s electric van can be spotted buzzing around the town delivering to other businesses. Unlike Greggs, the Bakers are expanding their operation. “We’re doing well,” said Steve. “People here clearly like a good pasty.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Bakers at Bakers Coffee House in Saltash. Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian

Cornish pasty production is big business in the land west of the Tamar. At least 120m pasties are made each year, generating about £300m for Cornwall’s economy, and some 2,000 people work in pasty production, according to the Cornish Pasty Association.

Among those to be found munching on a pasty in Saltash was Sharron Aston. “I was sitting at home watching the TV and suddenly thought I’d fancy a pasty. I won’t miss Greggs – I didn’t like their pastry much.” Melody Brooke-Simmonds said she ate one pasty a week. “I’d eat more if I wasn’t on a diet,” she said.

Greggs may have been hampered by its inability to describe its pasties as Cornish because the name is protected. Instead it sells a “beef and vegetable pasty” that includes carrots and peas – ingredients that horrify the Cornish pasty aficionados – and describes the product as its take on a West Country classic.

Bert Biscoe, a Cornish politician, historian and bard, suggested that Cornish people liked individualism. “The market in Cornwall for food tends to be focused on distinctive Cornish products. We’re very good at producing products like that. People like the expression of individualism rather than fast food.”

Greggs refused to discuss its foray into Cornwall. In a statement it said: “We confirm that following a thorough review, the Greggs at Saltash service station closed.”

But it hinted it might be back. “We continue to look for new opportunity sites across the south-west of England as part of our long-term plans.”