Centenarian who thanks sausage rolls for long life gets surprise Greggs birthday

A centenarian has put her longevity down to her soft spot for sausage rolls.

Grandmother-of-three and great gran-of-two Mary Emerson has been making them most of her life.

But the 100-year-old says as she has grown older she does nip into bakery chain Greggs to get her fix.

She said: “I’ve enjoyed baking for as long as I can remember and everyone has always enjoyed my sausage rolls.

“I still enjoy making them, with a little help. One of my favourite times to make them is Christmas with my granddaughter, Naomi.”

She said the key to a perfect sausage roll is good quality sausage meat and cutting them up small.

Mary said: “Although my eyesight is poor and I have the odd niggle, I still try to make sausage rolls as they go down so well.

“That and staying positive has been the secret to a long life.” Mary was thrown a surprise birthday by her local Greggs bakers for her birthday on Sunday.

And chief executive Roger Whiteside sent her a telegram.

He said: “We’d like to commemorate this ­landmark occasion with your years of ­dedicated service to the glorious sausage roll.”

Mary, of Stansted, Essex, was born prematurely with twin Jean in 1919 and neither was expected to live.

Jean died in 1981, while Mary has lived alone since her husband Tom passed away in 1976.

Mary added: “I have lived a good life.”

Daughter Kathy said: “Mum is quite independent, a true farmer’s daughter, stoic and no nonsense. She is amazing and has always been a fantastic baker.”

Her devotion to the snack – maybe not top of health food lists these days – comes after Nicole Reed had the Greggs logo tattooed on her thigh in Kavos in Corfu.

Nicole, 19, of Manchester, said: “I just love sausage rolls.”

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