5 BEST OF THE

HEALTHIER PASTRIES

HIGH in calories and fat, pastry has been undergoing a healthy makeover. Here, Noor Al Refae, a dietitian at the Harley Street Cardiology Practice, suggests healthier choices.

Greggs Bombay Potato Bake

£1.30. Per pasty: calories, 274; saturated fat, 1.4g; sugar, 5.4g; salt, 0.58g WITH its sourdough-flavoured crust and potato, onion and curry sauce filling, it has half the calories of Greggs’ traditional beef and vegetable pasty and just 1.4g saturated fat compared to 17g.

However, it has 5.4g sugar, compared to 1.5g in a standard pasty. Pastry with potato may not be the healthiest lunch, but if you must have a pasty, this wins on portion size, calorie and saturated fat content.

Genius Gluten-Free Croissants

£2 for two, from supermarkets. Per croissant: calories, 233; saturated fat, 6.3g; sugar, 4.6g; salt, 0.4g FOR anyone with coeliac disease or who finds gluten (a protein in wheat, rye and barley) causes gastrointestinal upset, these croissants could be a treat. But they have as many calories and as much saturated fat (almost a third of your daily intake) and sugar (just over a teaspoonful) as classic butter croissants with toppings.

Quorn sausage roll

£2 each, from supermarkets. Per 130g roll: calories, 292; saturated fat, 4.8g; sugar, 3g; salt, 1.3g THIS meat-free sausage roll has 218 fewer calories, 11g less fat, 1g less salt and 3g more fibre than a conventional sausage roll (but the salt is still high, almost a quarter of your 6g daily maximum).

It does contain almost 16g of mycoprotein, a low-fat, high-fibre protein derived from fungi — 4g more than a pork sausage roll, so it should be filling.

Clive’s Three Bean Chilli gluten-free pies

£4.99 for two, Holland & Barrett. Per 185g pie: calories, 326; saturated fat, 9.9g; sugar, 4.4g; salt, 1.1g GLUTEN-FREE, vegetarian and vegan friendly and with no added sugar, yeast, celery, soya or sesame, these pies are suitable for a range of dietary issues.

Pastry will always be relatively high in fat (21.3g total fat in each pie, around 30 per cent of the adult daily maximum), so see them as an occasional treat. The vegetable and pulse filling counts as one of your five a day.

Weight Watchers crustless bacon & leek quiche

£1.50, in supermarkets. Per 160g quiche: calories, 256; saturated fat, 4.2g; sugar, 3.7g; salt, 0.8g A CRUSTLESS quiche is a good way to cut down fat and calories in a pastry without compromising on the taste.

Per serving, this has 100 fewer calories and 3.5g less saturated fat than a traditional bacon and leek quiche, and half the salt.