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Meat Substitutes Guide / Reviews

Cooking with meat substitutes I've found that flavour is generally less important than getting the right texture (as long as you're cooking it in to something and not just eating it on it's own). If you can find ones with good texture and flavour, that's even better. But with so many different products available I forget which ones I've tried and which ones I like. Here's my own guide for what kind of meat substitute to use for a recipe. Only stuff I've been able to buy in the UK is included.

I guess technically these are meat analogues (a meat-like substance made from plants). Meat substitutes could include tofu, lentils, or seitan. I'm focusing on meat analogues, but when we are using them it is a substitute for actual meat, so I prefer the term meat substitute.

I need to come up with some kind of rating system to show whether things are worth buying. Sometimes just because something is at the top of it's table you would assume it is good, but that's not the case. In some categories there just isn't a good product yet. Or some categories you might think the fifth item in the table is bad but actually it's good, it's just in a category filled with great products.
Something like this:

denotes the product is vegan (but always check the packaging!).

Substitute Suggestion By Ingredient (or recipe)

Bacon

Bacon seems to come in either shreds/pieces or in rasher-style shapes. Bacon is the one of the meat substitutes where I would say flavour is equally important as texture. I should really separate these in to either Danish or Streaky bacon, but with some of the substitutes it's hard to tell which they are trying to emulate. Some seem like they could be either depending on how long you cook them for.

Rashers

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
This
Isn't Streaky Bacon
Rashers
It crisps up really well without turning really hard. It's super salty like real bacon which helps the illusion. The flavour could be stronger but it still tastes good. So far we've tried it in sandwiches and in soup and it was great in both.
A+
La Vie
Plant-Based Bacon Smoked
Rashers
Similar to Plant Pioneers, with red and white bits. Crisped up well. The smokiness is just right, but there's no real bacon flavour.
B+
Plant Kitchen
No Pork Streaky Bacon
Rashers
Almost identical to La Vie.
B+
SGAiA
Smoky Flavour Rashers
Rashers
6 in a pack. They're quite like the Plant Pioneers Vacon, but the rashers are twice as wide. It crisps up really well, but goes really quite hard to the point it can hurt your teeth. Not much flavour, but a bit more than Plant Pioneers. When not crispy the texture and flavour is not quite right. There's a hint of wheaty flavour. But at least it doesn't have fake bacon flavouring (which disagrees with Anne). The cooking instructions are a pain (adding water and oil to the pan then covering) which causes lots of spitting when flipping them. Also they're far too expensive.
B/B+
Quorn
Vegetarian Bacon
Rashers
The texture is soft, a bit like slightly thicker wafer thin ham. The flavour is fairly good though.
B
Richmond
Meat-Free Smoked Bacon Rashers
Rashers
These had a similar texture to the plant pioneers ones, but slightly less dry perhaps. The flavour was similar to the Vivera shreds (but not as salty). The white "fat" parts seemed to have a slightly different texture to the "meat" part, but didn't render. We cooked it into pasta, but I would like to try frying it up so it's crispy. It imparts a pretty good flavour when cooked into something.
B
Richmond
Meat-Free Back Bacon Rashers
Rashers
Richmond no longer do Meat-Free Smoked Bacon Rashers. They have 2 products, Streaky Meat-Free Rashers and Meat-Free Back Bacon Rashers. I am not sure what the difference really is. These ones went crispy on the edges but were softer in the middle, so maybe that's it? They taste the same as their other products though.
B
Plant Menu
No Pork Streaky Bacon Rashers
Rashers
It crisps up reasonably well and has that pink and white look that reminds me of the Richmond bacon. The flavour is ok, Richmond is better.
B
Plant Pioneers
Smoky Vacon Rashers
Rashers
These crispy up really well like streaky bacon. But they are dry and don't have much flavour. Need to be pan fried in oil to give it some kind of fattiness.
B
VBites
All Day Bcn Vdeli Rashers
Rashers
These tasted ok. But they had a funny, almost powdery, aftertaste that none of us could really describe (wasn't noticeable on pizza but was on its own). They were really thin so I thought they were going to crisp up like streaky bacon, but they didn't. I think they are supposed to be like Danish bacon, but then they should be thicker because I kept tearing them trying to move them around.
B
Plenty Reasons
Meatless Bacon
Rashers
These were good. The texture is pretty good for streaky bacon, but a lot drier. It says to cook in a dry pan but seems like it could benefit from some oil. Could do with a stonger flavour, or maybe it's just hard to pick out on pizza.
B
Chiki Monkey
Smokey Yaycon
Rashers
It doesn't really taste of very much, but it is pleasant enough, a bit salty. The charred bits from dry frying make it more interesting. The texture is too soft for bacon.
B
This
Isn't Bacon
Rashers
These had an interesting texture. Almost like smoked mackerel, it was flaky like fish, but firm. But almost no flavour, or at least not enough to come through in the dish I cooked them in. I'm not sure if this has been discontinued or just been replaced by their new bacon which is much better.
C

Shreds

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
La Vie
Plant-Based Bacon Lardons
Lardons
Very similar to their bacon, just cut in to cubes.
B+
This
Isn't Bacon Lardons
Lardons
Very similar to the La Vie ones. We would need to try them side by side to distinguish them.
B+
Vivera
Plant Bacon Pieces
Shreds
These are really good. Very salty (too salty?). Like pieces of thicker cut Danish bacon in texture. Needs to be used as an ingredient in a dish otherwise it's a bit overwhelming without other flavours to temper it.
B

Beef / Steak Strips

I never really eat non-minced beef, unless I get a Chinese takeaway and order beef with green pepper and black bean sauce. So I'll be a poor judge.

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
Dopsu
No - Beef Pieces
Strips
A bit too soft. The texture isn't too bad, it's in strands/layers like I'd expect. The flavour isn't very strong but it is pretty good.
B+
Plant Pioneers
No Beef Pieces
Pieces / Chunks
The texture was quite good when raw (I tried a tiny piece), but it went really soft when cooked (I did cook it for 8 minutes when the packet said 3-5). The flavour was pretty good though.
B
Taste & Glory
No-Beef Strips
Strips
I like the fact these can be eaten hot or cold. Texture when cold is pretty spot on. When cooked it's a bit spongy, but I did overcook it. I think all you really need to do is warm it through. The flavour is actually pretty beefy, but there is something slightly off about it.
B
Quorn
Vegetarian Steak Strips
Strips
Very tender, but not spongy at least. Not much texture when you bite in to it. The taste is pretty good, pretty meaty. Also I've only seen these on sale in Asda, and don't want to give any money to Walmart.
B
The No Meat Company
No Bull Teriyaki Strips
Strips
The texture is soft and chewy, too much so to be realistic. Not sure what teriyaki tastes like, but these mainly have a savoury soy taste.
B-
Oumph!
Korean BBQ Chunk
Pieces
Similar to their Pulled BBQ chunks, the texture is too spongy and soya like. I can't really comment on the flavour because I cooked them in a sauce.
B?

Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky isn't really a thing in the UK, it's very distinctly American. We used to stock up on it whenever we went to the US (before they started selling it in supermarkets). Not something I'd bother buying these days, but will try them when we see them.

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
Primal Spirit
Vegan Jerky (Hickory Smoked)
Strip
The texture is surprisingly realistic. It's maybe slightly thicker than meat jerky. The taste is pretty spot on. It's a bit less dry than actual jerky (I think this isn't a bad thing, but to be even more realistic I would expect it to be drier). The flavour is what I would consider the standard / traditional flavour.
B+/A-
Primal Spirit
Vegan Jerky (Texas BBQ)
Strip
This tastes very similar to the Hickory Smoked flavour, just sweeter (unnecessarily so). It also seems slightly softer? Which makes it less jerky-like in texture.
B

Burgers

We normally just eat homemade bean burgers, but we've tried all the burgers we could find now. Most of them are ok. Only a few are really good.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Heura
Burgers Original
Very similar to the Beyond Burger in taste and texture, but maybe slightly juicier and softer? But still with a good amount of chewiness. I think the beyond burger may be slightly better ( I haven't tried the new improved 3.0 version), but these are significantly cheaper (but still fairly pricey for a pack of 2).
AA
Beyond Meat
Beyond Burger
These are good enough to fool James into thinking it was meat.
AA
This
Isn't Beef Burgers
Good savoury meaty taste. Noticeable even with lots of toppings. The texture is good. Lots of chewy bits and not too soft, but not tough either.
AA
Plant Kitchen
Vegan Steak Burgers
Very convincing texture, and strong beefy flavour.
AA?
Future Farm
Future Burger (2030)
Slightly soft (like Heura?) but the texture inside was very fibrous and meaty. The patty itself looked more like ground beef than any other. It had the same strong beefiness as their other products but it wasn't overwhelming in a burger with lots of toppings. James said it's one of the best so far. Anne said the taste was slightly weird, but then she also said she liked it.
A/AA
The Vegetarian Butcher
Patty On The Back
A very realistic texture (maybe ever so slightly softer than is should be?). The flavour could be a bit stronger, but it was still good.
A/AA?
Better Naked
Evolution Burger
A realistic texture with little fibrous bits. Has a slightly smoky flavour. James said it tastes good and has a good texture.
A/A+
Beyond Meat
Beyond Burger (Jalapeño Burger)
It was ok. I don't think the jalapeno flavour was very good and it just distracted from the taste of the burger.
A
Moving Mountains
Plant-Based ¼lb Burgers
These remind me of the Beyond Burger. A fairly smooth texture (like finer ground beef?), but chewy with fibrous bits. It has a very beefy, but also very smoky flavour (which I liked, but James wasn't keen on).
A
Plant Menu
Ultimate No Beef Burgers
Good. Savoury without being super smoky (which James doesn't like). It was juicy, but not super soft (it was still a bit soft), and still had a good burger texture.
A
GRO
The Incredible Burger
Chewy, but the texture seems a bit loose. It tastes good. Savoury (not smoky), and a bit sweet.
A/A-
Meatless Farm
Plant-Based Quarter Pounders
Very smoky (James wouldn't like these) and a bit sweet, but less of a meaty flavour (but still savoury). The texture is pretty good, but seems a bit like it's in strands, like chicken?
A-
Plant Menu
No Beef Burgers
Fairly good texture. Slightly firmer than the Future Burger (we tested at the same time), but slightly less fibrous? The taste was meaty and maybe slightly smoky with a hint of sweetness? Anne thought this was more like meat than the Future Burger. James didn't try this one. Only cooking instructions was for in the oven.
A-
The No Meat Company
No Bull Burgers
Very similar to the Meatless Farm burgers. Fairly soft in texture, but not unacceptable. A slightly sweet, very smoky savoury flavour that was not terribly meaty, but savoury enough to taste over all the toppings.
A-
Plant Pioneers
Ultimate Plant Burgers
These were very good. They were less chewy than the Moving Mountains burger, but developed a crust on them that gave them some bite. They tasted fairly beefy on their own, but the flavour was muted when loaded up with toppings, whereas with the Moving Mountains burger the flavour still came through strong. James preferred these to the Moving Mountains.
A-
Quorn
Quarter Pounders
A bit dry, but decent texture. Quite meaty. A very beefy flavour which James really like but Anne really disliked. Only found these at Morrisons and Asda so far.
A-/B+
Linda McCartney's
Linda's Best Burgers
Good texture and a decent savoury flavour.
A-/B+
Plant Pioneers
No Beef Big Burgers
These were weird in that the only cooking instructions were for under the grill. We couldn't use the grill because we were using the oven to cook wedges, so pan fried them instead. The taste was good, but the texture was a bit soft (but not mushy). It would be good to try them again cooking them the way the instructions tell you to to see if it makes a difference.
A/B?
Plant Pioneers
Meat Free Burgers
These were very similar to the No Beef Big Burgers, to the point where I wonder if they just renamed the product.
A/B?
Garden Gourmet
Plant-Based Burger
The texture is ok, but it's a bit soft. The flavour is savoury and a bit smoky. I won't be buying these again though because they are made by Nestle.
B+
SGAiA
Italian Style Burger
They also sell an original burger. We weren't sure what Italian style means, I think it just means Italian herbs. I thought the texture was very good, with grisly bits that seem quite realistic. It's quite a bit firmer than most of the burgers we've tried. Anne and I both noticed a bit of springiness that wasn't quite right (Anne said she thought they seemed a bit layers in texture like tofu). The outside was very smooth, probably due to the vacuum packaging. The taste is nice, but a bit sweet (with a hint of tomato). They are a bit herby, Anne said it makes her think of meatballs. They are savoury, but don't really taste like meat. Anne preferred the No Meat Company No Bull Burger we tested at the same time. I liked it, but they are not worth how expensive they are. And the suggested cooking method (putting oil and water in) caused a lot of spitting from the pan when flipping them.
B/B+
Richmond
Meat-Free No Beef Burgers
These were good but hard to place. They were fairly soft inside, which didn't seem like the right texture. They tasted good, with a savoury meaty taste and a faint smokiness. James was distinctly unimpressed. Anne had no preference between this and the Tivall burger. I preferred this burger and may place it above the Plant Pioneers Ulitmiate Plant Burger, but the texture let it down.
B?
Plant Chef
Meat Free Burgers
Pretty good. Not super meaty, but taste good. The texture wasn't bad. Quite similar to the Tivall burger. I like the fact you can get a pack of 8.
B
Tivall
Chargrilled Burgers
These tasted good, but weren't that meaty in flavour. The texture was also fairly good. They are the only one on the list so far that you get 4 in a pack instead of 2.
B
Plant Revolution!
Bangin' Burgers
The texture is fine, but it just seemed to have no flavour at all. James said they were boring. They come in a box of 6.
B
Taste & Glory
Quarter Pounders
Anne and I thought these were ok, but James said they were the worst burgers we've tested. The texture was slightly soft with some chew to it, but I think it was underdone. We cooked another the next day and it was firmer with a nice smokiness.
B
Bird's Eye Green Cuisine
Meat-Free Burgers
These are a pretty good texture and taste. A slight vegetal aftertaste maybe?
B
Fry's
The Big Fry Burger
Very large around, and very light in colour. The first time I cooked them I didn't notice you are meant to defrost them first... They were fairly soft (softer than the No Bull Burgers we tested at the same time), but not mushy. The second time we defrosted them first and the texture was a lot better, but they taste the same. They do not taste like a burger at all, they have a very herby taste. Anne and I both thought immediately of sausages, but it also reminded me of meatloaf. They are nice and we would get these again, but they are not a great replication of a burger.
B/B-
Vivera
Plant Burger
We ate these at the same time as the Tivall burgers to compare. Tivall was meatier / more savoury in taste. Vivera had an almost sausage-like taste to it. Also it was very dense. Much more so than any of the other burgers we've tried. Everyone preferred the Tivall burgers except Owen who preferred these.
B/C
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian ¼lb Burgers
A bit crumbly, but otherwise decent texture. But it doesn't really taste of anything. But even though it didn't taste of much James hated it, he said it made him feel sick.
C/B-
Plant Pioneers
Smoky 'Jack' Quarter Pounders
It's nice, but doesn't taste meaty at all and the texture is fairly soft. It is flakier (like jackfruit tends to be) rather than the texture you'd expect from a burger.
D

Chicken Burgers / Breaded Fillets

I used to love getting tower burgers from Chicago Chicken in Tufnell Park. Unfortunately they no longer exist, so I've been using our chicken burger tests as an opportunity to try to recreate Chicago Chicken at home. When I refer to a burger having a "junk food taste" I probably just mean "fried", but almost all of these burgers cook in the oven, so it's hard to mimic that experience.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
The Vegetarian Butcher
Happy Go Clucky
The breading is decent (not super crispy, but not soft either), it's the kind of super fine breading. The meat texture is really good and it's juicy and tastes reasonably chickeny. It could be slightly firmer, but that's nitpicking. Also it's a bit thin, but the radius is bigger to make up for it. It has that junk food taste I want.
A+
The Vegetarian Butcher
Hentastic Southern Fried Chicken
I couldn't tell the difference between this and the Happy Go Clucky. I'd have to try them both side by side.
A+
Plant Pioneers
No Chicken Burger
It has a great texture and a good flavour. The coating is good too. But it doesn't feel quite as much like junk food as the Quorn Southern Fried Burger for some reason.
A/A+?
Quorn
Southern Fried Burgers
It tastes chickeny with a good chewy texture, without being too soft. The breadcrumb coating is pretty good too. It tastes like junk food, which is just what I wanted.
A
Beyond Meat
Beyond Fillet
The coating is good. The taste is good too. But the texture is a bit weird. It's a bit too dense.
A
Beyond Meat
Beyond Burger Chicken - Style
Pretty much identical to their Beyond Fillet. The coating comes off quite easily. I oven cooked them, but I bet they are better fried.
A
Quorn
Takeaway Crunchy Fillet Burgers
This and the Linda McCartney burger are the only ones so far in the shape of a chicken fillet. The batter coating is ok (nothing special), but the chicken fillet is really good, both in taste and texture. But for some reason I still prefer the Southern Fried Burger, probably because of the coating.
A/A-?
Quorn
Takeaway Spicy Buffalo Fillets
Almost identical to the Quorn Takeaway Crunchy Fillet Burgers. There was no buffalo flavouring at all (or if there was we couldn't taste it). They were still good, but gets marked lower because the lack of buffalo flavour was disappointing.
A-
Bird's Eye Green Cuisine
Chicken - Free Burgers
Good breading. The texture of the chicken is pretty good. It's on the softer side, but not really noticeably so. There's not much chicken flavour. It's definitely got a junk food taste to it. Owen really like this one which bumps the score up a bit.
A-/B+
Fry's
Chicken-Style Burgers
Surprisingly good. Crispier breading than the Quorn ones, because I fried them in a pan instead of oven cooking. It also has that fried junk food taste I'm after. However the texture and taste of the chicken is not quite as good as the Quorn ones. Next time I'll try cooking them in the oven and I suspect they won't be as good (the problem is the instructions say cook at 180, but hash browns, wedges, oven chips, etc. cook at 220, so do the Quorn burgers, so it will be harder to cook the Fry's burgers correctly in the oven if I am cooking other stuff at the same time).
B+
Quorn
Chicktastic Burgers
Good, but not as good as the Southern Fried Burgers. There's not much in it though. This taste like a big chicken nugget, but doesn't seem as fast food-like as the Southern Fried Burgers.
B/B+
VFC
Original Recipe Crispy Chicken Fillets
They have a weird rounded triangle shape, like onigiri. The texture is ok, but it's soft and compact. The flavour is ok. The coating is fine but could be crispier. It just doesn't have that fried taste.
B/B+
The Vegetarian Butcher
Chickened Out Burger
The only burger on the list (so far) that has no breading / coating. It tastes almost sausage-like and the texture is a bit like sausage too. I think with a bit of tweaking it would be better sold as a sausage burger. But we all liked the burger, so it goes to show anything below this on the list is a worse chicken burger than what is essentially a sausage burger.
B
Meatless Farm
Chicken Burgers
Very crispy breading. Very bready and less fast food-like. The texture of the meat is not quite right, it's too uniform, and seems more like dark meat. It doesn't taste very chickeny either (but it does a little bit).
B
Plant Menu
No Chicken Burgers
I accidentally overcooked these so I can't properly judge them, but I suspect they are slightly better than the spicy version. The coating was great. The meat texture was hard to judge, but it seemed ok. The flavour had no metallic aftertaste like the spicy version, but the overcooking may have masked it slightly.
B?
Plant Menu
Katsu No Chicken Fillets
The coating is nice, like batter rather than breadcrumbs. Not much flavour to the chicken. The texture is ok. Again it seems like dark meat like the Plant Menu chicken burgers. It comes with a katsu curry sauce packet for each fillet, but there wasn't enough of it. I think you're better off just using your favourite chicken burgers and buying the curry sauce separately.
B
Linda McCartney
Vegetarian Southern - Style Chicken Fillet Burgers
The only other burger (besides the Quorn Takeaway Fillet Burger) that is in a fillet shape. The breading is super crispy. The texture inside is ok (it's a bit on the dry side). There isn't really any flavour to it (not even in the coating).
B-
Plant Menu
Spicy No Chicken Burgers
Disappointing. The coating was great. They weren't very spicy. The texture is ok, but it seems flaky rather than layered strands. The flavour is a bit odd, with a metallic aftertaste. I think it tastes more like dark meat than light meat (which you'd expect a chicken burger to be). Owen and James really didn't like it compared to Anne and I.
B-/C
Biff's Plant Shack
Crispy Fried Jackfruit Burger
Really good, but too soft in texture (although it flakes nicely like all jackfruit does) and doesn't taste anything like chicken.
D

Chicken Fillets (non-breaded)

Not sure this needs it's own category. Might move it in to something else.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
This
Isn't Chicken Thighs
It was ok. I used them for satay skewers so cut each one in to 3 and they kind of fell apart. But they seemed pretty good. I'd like to try them again in a different recipe as it was hard to judge.
A-/B+
Meatless Farm
Chicken Breasts
The texture is not bad (ever so slightly spongy). It's a bit too uniform with no layers/strands. Also it's a bit salty. It tastes nice. There is a savoury flavour that reminds me of the taste of the skin of a roast chicken (this is good, the skin is the best part!). But otherwise it's not really chicken-like in flavour.
B+
The Vegetarian Butcher
Impeckable
Tired this at the same time as the Quorn fillets. The texture is more stringy/layered than the Quorn ones (which is good), but it is also softer. It tastes slightly more chickeny, but there's not much in it.
B/B+
Quorn
Fillets
Annoyingly the only cooking instructions are simmering in a sauce, which I didn't want to do so I pan fried them and they turned out fine. The texture is pretty good for a chicken breast. It's quite firm and dense. The flavour is ok, it's not very interesting, but then chicken isn't that interesting. It reminded me of just a scaled up version of the Quorn chicken pieces.
B/B+
Fry's
Plant - Based Chick'n Fillets
The texture is quite uniform, but there is a bit of layering / strands, but they're not that noticeable. It is dense like a chicken breast, but maybe slightly spongy. The taste is ok, it's kind of chickeny, a bit salty.
B/B+
Plant Menu
Peri-Peri No Chicken Fillets
The texture was too soft, kind of like french toast? The spicyness was nice, but that was about it. James said it was one of the worst fake meats we've tried so far.
C

Chicken Nuggets

In a way it doesn't really matter what chicken nuggets are like, they're just a vehicle for ketchup (or your sauce of choice). But there is a noticeable difference between brands. Some are breaded and some have a kind of batter coating similar to what you'd get at a fast food restaurant.

Breaded

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
This
Isn't Chicken Nuggets
Very firm (like their chicken pieces). Good chickeny taste. The texture is ok, but I feel they're a bit too firm for a processed chicken nugget. The coating is ok, it's like they stuck tiny breadcrumbs on the outside of batter.
A+
Plant Pioneers
No Chicken Nuggets
(previously called Chicken - Style Nuggets). I might have undercooked them as they were a bit soft and the coating was not crispy, but they were still really good. Slightly larger than all the other nuggets, so you get fewer in a pack.
A
Quorn
Hot & Spicy Bites
Very good. Quite dense (like the No Chick Southern Fried Strips). Could do with being slightly juicier. But nice and spicy without being too hot. Breadcrumbs were crispy. These were also slightly larger, like the Plant Pioneers nuggets. Everyone liked these, even Owen!
A
Quorn
Southern Fried Bites
These were almost identical to the Hot & Spicy bites but without the spices on the coating. They seemed juicier though, so maybe I just overcooked the Hot & Spicy Bites.
A
Plant Kitchen
Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Good. Crispy breadcrumbs. Soft on the inside with a good texture. Maybe slightly too soft. THe taste is chickeny, a bit like roast chicken flavour crisps. Everyone else said A, but I would go with A- because of the softness.
A/A-
Like Meat
Like Nuggets
These were really interesting. The only cooking instructions were to pan fry (from frozen or thawed). It made the coating oily and super crispy (when you bit it it seemed to crack rather than crunch). But the texture inside was great. Anne said it was indistinguishable from real meat. The flavour was good too. If I can work out a way to cook them to make them less oily these will move to the top of the table. 9 in a box.
A/B?
VFC
Chicken Stompers
The cornflake coating is nice and crispy. And the spice is very nice. The meat inside isn't too bad, but the texture is a bit too uniform.
B+
Plant Menu
No Chicken Dino-Bites
Good crispy breading. The texture on the inside is ok, but it's a bit too soft. They also don't taste of much. But Owen liked them.
B+
Plant Menu
No Chicken Unicorns
Identical to the Dino-Bites.
B+
Plant Revolution
No Chick'n Nuggets
Crispy breading, soft on the inside. Maybe a bit too soft because there's no much texture. Flavour is pretty boring, you can mainly taste the breading. Overall pretty good. Owen liked them and they were a decent size.
B+?
The Vegetarian Butcher
Little Peckers
They taste almost buttery, and were quite salty. The breading is not super crispy. They are softer on the inside than the Quorn Crispy Nuggets, but the texture isn't bad. James said they were interesting. Owen gave them a B+ but the Quorn nuggets an A-.
B+?
Fry's
Stars & Moons
The breading is good. The meat texture is a bit soft and doesn't have much chicken flavour, but they do seem like nuggets and overall the taste is ok. Owen likes them.
B/B+
Tivall
Nuggets
The breading isn't bad. It has sesame seeds mixed in, which was interesting (and unique so far). The meat is somewhat juicy, the texture is nothing special, but it is not bad either. The taste is pretty good, but it's not exactly chickeny.
B/B+?
Tindle
Nuggets
The taste was ok. The texture is a bit odd. They are a bit spongy and the coating is crispy on the outside but kind of mushy underneath. I didn't cook them on the right temperature, so that could be a factor. I should try frying them, which was the other option. Owen said A+, Anne said B-.
B
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Chicken-Free Nuggets
These were decent, I'd say they are the base-line. Anything above these are good to great, anything below probably don't waste your time. good crispy coating, juicy inside. Not much flavour, but oddly James didn't like them as he wasn't fond of the taste.
B
Quorn
Roarsomes
These were ok, but the meat was quite thin and lacked flavour. You could really only taste the coating. The coating was good and super crunchy. Owen liked them, James said they were boring. And you only get 6 in a pack!
B
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian Southern - Style Chicken
These were ok (Owen said C-). The texture is ok, but it's way too soft. And the flavour is like soya. The breading is ok and the spices are quite nice, but doesn't really make up for the poor chicken inside.
B/B-
VBites
Chicken Style Nuggets
They are weird cube shapes. The texture and flavour is ok and the breading was nice and crispy, but they were too dry. And not enough in a packet for 4 people.
C
Fry's
Chicken-Style Nuggets
Don't really taste of much, but the texture was fine.
C
Plant Menu
No Chicken Nuggets
They have a super crispy coating. Anne and I liked it but James wasn't a fan. The inside texture was fine, but I think they have even less flavour than Fry's.
C

Battered

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Quorn
Crispy Nuggets
These are the best by far. Very reminiscent of McDonalds nuggets. A crispy coating and a better taste and texture on the chicken.
AA
Plant Chef
Meat-Free Crispy Nuggets
These were ok. The coating was really crispy. The inside was a bit spongy, and had a slightly vegetal taste (but not unpleasant). The nuggets were big, like the Plant Pioneers nuggets.
B
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Chicken-Free Dippers
The coating is pretty good. The texture inside was fine (nothing special). But what was weird was the complete lack of flavour.
B

Chicken / Turkey Drummers, Goujons / Strips, Popcorn & Kievs

I'm splitting this in to a separate table from the chicken nuggets because we've come across a few now and they are just bigger (except popcorn chicken) and a different shape to nuggets they feel like a separate category.

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
Plant Pioneers
Hot & Spicy Goujons
Goujons / Strips
These were great. Super crunchy coating which was nice and spicy. Juicy inside with a fairly good texture. The only problem is there are 6 in a packet so they don't make sense for a family of 4. Also they aren't frozen so they only last a few days in the fridge before they reach their best before date.
A
The No Meat Company
No Chick Southern Fried Strips
Drummers
The coating is good and slightly spicy. The texture is nowhere like their chicken strips. But I guess that makes sense it's much more like processed chicken.
A
This
Isn't Chicken Tenders
Goujons / Strips
Only 7 in a box. The taste is chickeny. The texture is a bit too firm, but it has good layers/strands in it. The coating is ok. Overall they're very similar to their nuggets. James said they're a bit boring.
A
Oumph!
Spicy Drums
Drummers
Nice and spicy coating. The meat is surprisingly chicken-like in taste. The texture is in layers/strands quite like chicken, and quite firm like a well cooked chicken leg. It could be slightly less firm and a bit juicier, but still pretty good.
A-
Plant Revolution
No Chick'n Kievs
Kiev
Good breading. Good chicken texture, flavour is ok. Lots of very garlicky butter, but it's a bit too runny, like oil rather than butter or margarine.
A-
Fry's
Popcorn Chick'n
Popcorn Chicken
Batter coating isn't really crispy (I cooked 11 minutes the packet said 10-12), but the chicken has a pretty good taste and texture. It is slightly spongy, but not enough to be off-putting. The taste and texture reminds me a bit of turkey drummers.
A-
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Chicken - Free Southern Fried Grills
Breaded Cutlet
Good crispy coating that's nice and spicy, but not too much so. The texture and taste of the meat is ok, but really the coating is the star.
A-
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Chicken - Free Southern Fried Strips
Goujons / Strips
Almost identical to the southern fried grills (see above). Maybe the meat in the strips is ever so slightly softer (or I just didn't cook them as long?).
A-
Plant Pioneer
No Chicken Kyivs
Kiev
The coating is good and crunchy. The meat is very firm, but the flavour is ok. The filling is very runny. Could have more garlic.
B+/A-
VFC
Original Recipe Crispy Chick*n Tenders
Goujons / Strips
The coating is nice and crispy and has a nice bit of spice. But the meat is too soft and has no real texture at all (but it tastes ok). It has a hint of that chicken skin flavour.
B+
The No Meat Company
No Chick Hot & Spicy Strips
Drummers
The coating is good, the texture is like processed chicken. But the spiciness is disappointing. There's no real flavour, just a spicy aftertaste. The Southern Fried Strips are better.
B+
Vivera
Plant Garlic Kiev
Kiev
Pretty good coating. The chicken texture was a bit soft, but only slightly, it wasn't off-putting. The garlic stuff in the centre could have been a bit runnier and there could have been more of it. But it tasted good. James liked it too.
B+
Plant-It
Chicken - Free Goujons
Goujons / Strips
The coating is good, the texture of the chicken is pretty good too. But the flavour is a bit boring. But Owen loved them and said they were A+. Only 6 in a pack (it does say it serves 2).
B+
Plant-It
Chicken - Free Southern Fried Bites
Popcorn Chicken
The coating is good, the texture of the chicken was good, but a bit dry (they were cooked a bit longer than the instructions because they were in with the goujons which cook a minute longer). Not only is the chicken pretty flavourless, but the spices on the coating are disappointing. I was expecting more flavour for something "southern fried".
B+
Future Farm
Future Chick'n (Breaded)
Goujons / Strips
A bit peppery/spicy. The chicken texture is like the No Meat Company chicken pieces, which isn't bad, but I feel like it's the wrong texture for this kind of product. The breading is not bad.
B+/B
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Chicken - Free Crispy Grills
Breaded Cutlet
Super crispy coating, to the point where Owen had trouble cutting it. Inside the taste and texture were both fine, but nothing special. James said it was fine, and was generally unimpressed, but Owen really liked it a lot. I really liked the crispy coating which elevated it, otherwise the chicken would have just been a solid B rating.
B/B+
Plant Menu
Chinese Inspired No Chicken Strips
Goujons / Strips
Like the Indian ones below, but they taste a bit like hoisin instead of curry. And they are a little spicy. There's not much in it, but we preferred these.
B/B+
Plant Menu
Indian Inspired No Chicken Strips
Goujons / Strips
Too soft. The stringy texture is pretty good. The coating is nice and crispy. Not much flavour to the chicken. The coating tastes of curry powder.
B
Plantlife
Spiced Seitan Tenders
Goujons / Strips
Good coating (it had a bunch of seeds mixed in). The inside is ok, a decent texture, but too soft. It tastes nice, but not much flavour to the meat, the coating is the main flavour. Doesn't really taste like chicken. Owen said B+, James liked them too Anne wasn't keen on the seeds.
B
Vivera
Plant Chicken Goujons BBQ
Goujons / Strips
Pretty good coating. Quite thin, could be slightly meatier. The BBQ flavour is good but could be stronger. It's a bit sweet with a smoky aftertaste. It's more like a nugget than some of the other goujons. Only 4 in a packet.
B
Quorn
Sweet Chipotle Goujons
Goujons / Strips
These taste more like chicken than the Vivera ones. The coating was alright, but the chipotle flavour was extremely muted, it wasn't really noticeable at all. 6 in a pack, but they are very small.
B
The No Meat Company
No Chick Kievs
Kiev
The garlic butter is margarine and very runny. I felt like the garlic flavour should have been stronger, but at least there was plenty of it. The chicken taste was ok. The texture was very uniform. The breading is good. Anne liked them, I thought they were ok. I preferred the Vivera Kievs.
B
The Vegilantes
Ch*cken Drumsticks
Drumsticks
The coating is a bit weird. It's quite thick and a bit floury and quite salty. James said the meat inside tasted mushroomy, but I think it's just general soy flavour. The texture is a bit soft, but is in fibrous layers like chicken. Anne and I thought they were ok, James really disliked it.
B/B-
The Vegilantes
Salt & Pepper Ch*cken Popcorn (with ginger & 5-spice)
Popcorn Chicken
They taste good, but the texture is soft and spongy and they are not really chickeny at all. I was expecting a crispy coating, but these are more like spicy dough balls.
C

Chicken Pieces

Chicken pieces seem to come as either cubes / chunks or in strips / shreds. The shreds have a much more believable texture when chewing it. The pieces can sometimes go a bit soft, but they are versatile and useful in many dishes. Mostly just the strips seem to be edible without cooking so can be used in sandwiches and salads and things like that, but it's not always clear, so I've added it in. I might move chicken pieces clearly meant for sandwiches (and wraps etc.) in to Lunch Meats at some point, I can't decide at the moment.

Chunks

Brand
Product Name
Form
Ready to Eat?
Comment
Rating
The No Meat Company
No Chick Strips
Chunks
No
These are the best. The packaging says cook from frozen, but I have defrosted them in the fridge 24 hours and cut them up in to smaller pieces and they worked fine. They are called strips, but they're more like irregular chunks.
AA
Heura
Chunks
Chunks
No
These are almost identical to No Chick Strips (except they are not frozen). Makes me think they are the same manufacturer. Maybe the texture is slightly spongier, but might be my imagination. We tried the normal and Mediterranean variety (basically just has a bit of pepper on it).
AA
Dopsu
No - Chicken Pieces
Chunks
No
These are almost identical to No Chick Strips and Heura (it would be interesting to do a three way comparison). They come frozen but you defrost them before cooking.
AA?
This
Isn't Chicken
Chunks
No
These are a very good texture, quite fibrous, but also quite dry and fairly soft (but not spongy). They remind me of the white meat from a chicken breast, whereas Heura and No Meat Company seem more like dark meat (not as dry), so for personal preference alone I rank it below them. The taste was slightly masked by the spices we cooked it in, but Anne said it seemed the most chicken-like out of anything we've tried so far (based mostly on texture presumably). It kept it's texture really well when simmered and lost its chalkiness when cooked in sauce.
A+
The Vegetarian Butcher
What the Cluck
Chunks
No
These are very similar to Heura and The No Meat Company. Maybe the texture is ever so slightly spongier, but might be my imagination. Hard to comment on taste because we covered it in fajita spices.
A
Garden Gourmet
Chicken Style Pieces
Chunks
No
These are kind of a cross between This and The No Meat Company chicken pieces. THey are firm like This and didn't go soft or rubbery. They are less dry though and the texture is a bit softer. I won't be buying these again though because they are made by Nestle.
A
The Vegetarian Butcher
Mexi-Hen Fiesta
Chunks
No
These are identical to their What the Cluck chicken pieces, except with "fajita spices". The meat is good. The spices are ok, but they're not my favourite. I'd rather just use my own spice mix on the normal pieces.
A-
Squeaky Bean
Chargrilled Cajun Mini Fillets
Chunks
Yes
An overwhelming chargrilled smoky flavour that overpowers anything else. There's a bit of spiciness too, but it's hard to notice. The texture is a bit soft, but it's not bad. What I really like about these are that in a wrap it reminded me of the chicken you'd get from a mixed kebab.
A-/B+
Taste & Glory
Roast Tenderstrips
Chunks
Yes
Pretty good taste and texture. Quite soft, but not spongy.
A-/B+
Richmond
Chargrilled No - Chicken Pieces
Chunks
Yes
Taste and texture are both pretty good. It is a tiny bit spongy, but not too much. It's quite salty and very savoury (James says mushroomy). It tastes like roast chicken to me.
B+
Squeaky Bean
Chargrilled Piri Piri Mini Fillets
Chunks
Yes
Not really spicy, they just have a strong smoky flavour, which is pretty convincing, but it overwhelms any other flavour. The texture is the same as other Squeaky Bean products. Still a bit on the soft side. I do prefer these chunks to their medallion shaped pieces though.
B+
Plant Pioneers
No Chicken Chunks
Cubes
No
I need to try these again. They came frozen and I defrosted them to cut up to cook in chicken pie. It worked ok, but they were quite soft and kind of clumped back together, although the flavour was fairly good. Cooking them again in something where I cook from frozen would be a fairer test. Tired them again in 3 cup chicken from frozen and they were good! (moved from B to B+)
B+
Quorn
Pieces
Cubes
No
Pretty versatile, but not the most realistic texture. They can seem a bit spongy?
B
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian Chicken Pieces
Pieces
No
They're ok. Bigger pieces than most. Almost like small chicken nuggets. Flakey and a bit soft, but not as soft as Quorn. The flavour is quite savoury, but not very chickeny.
B?
Plant Revolution
No Chick'n Pieces
Cubes
No
They're just soya chunks.
D

Strips

Brand
Product Name
Form
Ready to Eat?
Comment
Rating
Heura
Strips (Originals)
Strips
No
These are great. Pretty much the same texture and taste as the Heura chunks. They are chewy and have a kind of layered texture, like the Heura Chunks and No Meat Company No Chick Strips, more closely resembling dark meat than white. I would use this more in cooking (like Fajitas) than in sandwiches.
A
Plant Pioneers
Roast Flavour Pieces
Medallions?
Yes
Best option so far for sandwiches and using uncooked. Better texture and a slightly stronger "roasted" flavour than the Quorn ones.
A
Squeaky Bean
Chicken Style Pieces (Kick of Tikka)
Medallions?
Yes
These were great. Very much like Plant Pioneers to the point where I wonder if they are made by the same company.
A
Plant Pioneers
Firecracker Pieces
Medallions?
Yes
These are similar to the Quorn Peri Peri, or the Squeaky Bean Hot & Spicy, but they have both the good texture and good flavour (they are nice & spicy) so they are better than the other two.
A
Plant Kitchen
Vegan Chicken Pieces
Shreds
No
These kept their texture in 3 cup chicken. The texture is ok, but it's nothig special. Fairly firm. I can't comment on the taste. I would like to try it in chicken pie.
A/A-
Quorn
Sweet Chilli Mini Fillets
Strips
Yes
The taste is good. The texture is ok. But it's too soft. Also no instructions for warming them up so we just at them cold (which was fine).
B/B+
Quorn
Peri Peri Strips
Pieces / Chunks
No
Pretty good, but the texture was not as good as the Plant Pioneers or Squeaky bean pieces. It even seemed different to the Quorn Roasted Sliced Fillets (not as soft, but less texture, more uniform? Haven't had peri peri / piri piri in a long time so it was difficult to compare the flavour, but it seemed pretty good and spicy.
B
Squeaky Bean
Chicken Style Pieces (Hot & Spicy)
Medallions?
Yes
These were ok. The texture was as good as ever, but the flavour is just boring. It has a little heat, but otherwise there's no real discernible flavour. It just tastes of chilli powder. We tried it on pizza which muted the spicyness and made them slightly softer, which wasn't great, but they were still pretty good.
B
Quorn
Roasted Sliced Fillets
Strips
Yes
Pretty soft texture, and flavour is fine, needs some kind of sauce. Good in a sandwich / wrap.
B
Fry's
Chicken-Style Strips
Strips
No
These are ok. The flavour isn't bad, but the strips are very soft (but not spongy at least). They remind be of soy based fake meat in a chinese dish. I would eat these, but they're not high up the list due to the texture.
C

Chicken Wings / Buffalo Wings

I have never been a fan of chicken wings, and never really eat them, so I'll be a poor judge.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Quorn
Sticky BBQ Wings
They're basically just slightly larger nuggets with a floury type of coating that comes with a separate sauce packet. The flavour without the sauce is not as good as a normal Quorn nugget. It's not really like a chicken wing at all, but it's still better than the other stuff we've tried.
A-
Quorn
Takeaway Sticky Sriracha Wings
They're basically identical to the Sticky BBQ Wings, but a different flavour. The sriracha flavour is really good. Not quite enough sauce to properly coat the wings.
A-
Oumph!
Crispy Buffalo Bites
Nice buffalo flavour, but not too spicy. The breadcrumbs are ok. The meat is soft (a bit spongy), and textured like the dark meat from the chicken I'd say. This gets more points for flavour than texture I think. Owen loved them.
A-/B+
Quorn
Takeaway Buffalo Wings
They're basically identical to the Sticky BBQ Wings except they don't come with a sauce packet (unless that was a mistake). The meat is good, but the coating has no buffalo sauce flavour at all! There is maybe the very slightest hint.
B
Biff's Plant Shack
Crispy Fried Jackfruit Wingz
Good coating. Way too soft in the inside. They taste nice (sweeter than the Plantlife Seitan Tenders we tried at the same time), but they don't taste like chicken at all. I was really interested in trying them due to the sugarcane "bone". It looks good, but I thought it would be a mini piece of sugar cane, but it's actually like a larger piece that has been cut in to a square stick. It meant you could easily bite in to it and taste the sugar cane. It would be better if it was hard like a bone. James said the bone is just an inconvenience. Only 4 in a pack.
B
Plant Pioneers
No Chicken Buffalo Wings
They taste ok (I've only ever had buffalo wings once in the USA years ago), but the texture was weird and spongy and not good at all.
C

Duck

Crispy Duck! Crispy Duck! Crispy Duck! That's basically all I'm interested in doing with this.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian Shredded Hoisin Duck
The duck is in shreds like I would expect. It's a tiny bit too soft, but it's not too bad. It's pretty flavourless in terms of tasting like meat, but it does have some spices that have flavoured it (I assume hoisin, but it reminds me of teriyaki). It doesn't have any crispy bits which is a shame, but it's not labelled as specifically for crispy duck. A long time ago I think we did get a Linda McCartney duck pancake kit and I thought that was a bit better, but maybe I'm misremembering.
B
Dopsu
No-Duck Pieces
Basically just like their chicken. Which isn't bad. But it was not what I was looking for in a duck replacement.
B

Fish

Fish substitute products don't seem to be as common as other meat alternatives. So far the majority we've tried have not been great, but we'll try them when we see them. I might split fillets and fingers out in to separate tables eventually.

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
Moving Mountains
Plant-Based Fingers
Fingers (Breaded)
The texture of the fish is not quite right, but it's pretty good. It starts off denser than expected, but when you bite down it flakes like fish. The flavour is good too, it lacks any hint of fishiness, but it still somehow tastes like a fish finger (probably due to the breading, which is pretty good too). The only problem is I've only ever found these in Whole Foods and I don't want to give money to Amazon. 10 in a pack.
A
Squeaky Bean
Tuna Style Flakes
Tuna Chunks
A really good texture. The flavour is not quite right (it's lacking), but the best so far.
A-
Squeaky Bean
Smoked Salmon Style Slices
Smoked Salmon
Surprisingly good texture and flavour. Should be saltier and is missing any fish flavour.
A-/B+
Vivera
Plant Salmon Fillet
Fillets
It doesn't taste like fish, but the flavour is ok. The texture is fairly firm and doesn't flake in quite the same way, but it's still pretty good.
A-/B+
Plant Kitchen
Breaded Vegan Fish Fingers
Fingers (Breaded)
Nice crispy breading. The inside flakes like fish and has the right kind of texture. Occasionally you get a flake that is a bit firm (it's made of rice and potato flakes). It doesn't taste like fish at all, but they are still really good. They're thicker than normal fishfingers, but roughly the right length. 8 in a pack.
B/B+
Veganz
Räucherlaxs
Smoked Salmon
James said he prefers real smoked salmon, but he said it was actually ok. It's softer than salmon, also it's less salty and doesn't really have a fishy taste at all. It's mainly a smoky flavour with a bit of salty oiliness. It's not bad though. But it is very expensive for only 4 slices!
B
Future Farm
Future Tvna
Tuna chunks
It has the oiliness of fish, but the taste and texture is more like burgers. Better once it was made into tuna salad.
B
Quorn
Salt & Vinegar Fishless Fillets
Fillets (Battered)
These were ok. The texture was too soft, the batter was not great. But it did have a pretty good fishy flavour. The salt and vinegar smelled stronger than it tasted, it seems unnecessary.
B/B-
The Vegetarian Butcher
Cod Almighty
Fillets (Battered)
A very vague fishy aftertaste, but mainly doesn't taste of anything. The texture is not right either. Better than the ones that taste metallic at least.
B-
Plant Pioneers
Battered Fishless Fillets
Fillets (Battered)
The batter is ok, it's not quite right (a bit soft) but better than the Plant Menu ones (we tried them at the same time). The fish is too soft and doesn't taste like fish at all. It doesn't really taste of anything, except a kind of not quite right jackfruit flavour. It is kind of in flakes, but it just squishes together.
B-/C+
Plant Pioneers
No Chuna (with chilli & garlic)
Tuna Chunks
All three Plant Pioneers tunas were very similar in texture to the Future Farm Future Tvna, but the flavour was lacking (the chilli and garlic was very muted, the mayo was just sweet and not like mayo). The only good thing about them were they were very cheap.
B-/C+
Plant Pioneers
No Chuna (in vegan mayo)
Tuna Chunks
All three Plant Pioneers tunas were very similar in texture to the Future Farm Future Tvna, but the flavour was lacking (the chilli and garlic was very muted, the mayo was just sweet and not like mayo). The only good thing about them were they were very cheap.
B-/C+
Plant Pioneers
No Chuna (with a brine dressing)
Tuna Chunks
All three Plant Pioneers tunas were very similar in texture to the Future Farm Future Tvna, but the flavour was lacking (the chilli and garlic was very muted, the mayo was just sweet and not like mayo). The only good thing about them were they were very cheap.
B-/C+
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Fishless Fingers
Fingers (Breaded)
Not great. The coating is good, and the texture is decent. But the taste is bad, they have the same metallic taste as the other C rated products. Owen ate them without complaint so that's something at least. 12 in a pack.
C+
Plant Menu
Salt & Vinegar No Fish Fillets
Fillets (Battered)
The batter is weird. It's like something you'd get on a corndog. It does have a hint of vinegar in the smell but it barely comes through in taste. The texture is weird. It reminds me of the M&S fish fingers, but more squished together with no real flakes. Anne said there is an underlying potatoiness to the flavour. But Owen liked it, which was odd.
C+
Fry's
Fish-Style Fillets
Fillets (Battered)
These weren't very good. There were 4 in a pack, about the size of slightly larger hash browns. It said pan fry or oven cook (but don't over cook or it can impair the texture) so I pan fried them. The batter is nice and crispy, but the texture inside is not fishy, but soft and chewy like a chicken nugget. The taste isn't right, it's vaguely fishy, but not in a good way and has a metallic hint to it that is unpleasant.
C
Quorn
Fishless Fingers
Fingers (Breaded)
These weren't very good. The texture was pretty good, and initially they are kind of fish-like, but then there is an almost metallic taste with a vegetal hint. Also they are annoyingly smaller than a standard fishfinger. I wouldn't get these again. 10 in a pack.
C
Plantlife
Crisp-Crumbed Fishless Goujons
Goujons (Breaded)
The coating is good. The texture is fish-like, but too soft. But they just taste of jackfruit and cumin. 12 in a pack (I think. It says it serves 2).
D

Frankfurters / Hot Dog Sausages

These seem to come in either small thin smooth skinned frankfurters or big hulking sausages for US style hot dogs (Bratwurst?). I have grouped these together because we eat them in roughly the same way (at least in this house). For frankfurters, like bacon, I think flavour is as important as texture here. I only ever ate Herta frankfurters growing up so that's what I compare these to.

Frankfurters

Brand
Product Name
Cook From Frozen
Comment
Rating
Tivall
Vegetarian Frankfurters
Yes
Pretty versatile and good combination of taste and texture. Unfortunately I think they changed their recipe recently and the taste is not as good as they used to be.
A/B+
Fry's
Smoked Hot Dogs
No
A pretty good texture, but ever so slightly squeaky when you bite in to them. There isn't really much flavour except a faint smokiness.
B
Meatless Farm
Plant-Based Hot Dogs
No
These had a really good texture, maybe ever so slightly too watery / soft. They do have a hint of frankfurter flavour, more believable than any of the others. But there's some other flavour there that is offputting.
B-
Plant Menu
Meat-Free Hot Dogs
Yes
The skin on these is too tough. It does give a nice snap when you bite it, but sometimes it doesn't break and you are just pulling the inside out with your teeth. Also they don't taste like frankfurters (but not unpleasant). I did like the jumbo hotdog size. They fit the buns perfectly (without being too long). James said they were boring.
B-
VBites
Hot Dog Style Sausages
No
Fairly good texture but stringier than I would expect. The flavour is not right. It tastes of soy.
C
Taifun
Tofu wiener
No
These are super long (about 8.5"), they stuck out both sides of the bun. The texture was pretty good, but just a bit too soft. Also the flavour is not right at all. Thankfully it's mild enough it is easily hidden if you use enough condiments. Didn't come with any cooking instructions, but they were easy enough to find online (simmer 3-4 mins).
C
Wheaty
VeganSausage Hot Dog
No
These were ok to not great. There were no cooking instructions except to grill or fry. The skins were really tough and hard to bite through. The taste was ok, it was a bit smoky. I prefer the boiling kind.
C
Moving Mountains
Plant-Based Hot Dogs
No
Avoid. They have to be defrosted before cooking which requires planning ahead, then they have to simmer for 15 minutes. They are too firm in texture and the flavour is nothing special. And the jelly that comes out when you squeeze them out of their packaging is disturbing. The only positive is they are like jumbo-size frankfurters.
C-

Hot Dog Sausages (Bratwurst?)

Brand
Product Name
Cook From Frozen
Comment
Rating
Beyond Meat
Beyond Sausage (Brat Original)
No
James said they're his favourite, most like an actual sausage. The texture is great and it has a porkiness to the taste that other sausages haven't got. The only downside is a complete lack of a sausage skin, but you barely notice. Technically these could be in the normal sausage section, but they are just so large. I wish they were half the size, then you could have 4 in a pack, instead of 2 for £5!
AA
Plant Kitchen
Vegan Posh Dogs
No
Taste ok. Smoky. They remind me of the Meatless Farm ones made from sunflower seeds.
B+
Plant Pioneers
Caramelised Onion Shroomdogs
No
Similar to the Cumberland Shroomdogs (see sausages) in texture, but maybe more mushy? They have an oniony flavour so no weird aftertaste, but might not be everyone's favourite.
B

Kebab Meat

I would never make my own kebabs at home, I'd just buy them. But we tried these and they work pretty good as a lunch option (serves 2 but we stretched it to 3 with lots of cucumber, tomato and salad leaves).

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Oumph!
Döner Style Kebab
I liked the fact this came in ribbons like an actual kebab rather than the shorter pieces of Vivera's kebabs. The texture is pretty good, it could be slightly firmer (or maybe the strips are thinner than what I'm used to). The flavour is good, more flavour than the Vivera Greek Style, which is the nearest in comparison. It's not dry at all, but is a bit oily, It's probably a good idea to soak some up with paper towel before putting it in your pitta / wrap / whatever.
A/A+
Sainsbury's
Taste the Difference Middle Eastern Style Koftas
Quite dense. THe texture is not quite right, but still pretty good. The spices are perfect. A bit sweet from the apricot I guess.
A?
Vivera
Plant Shawarma Kebab
I've never had Shawarma before but this was pretty good. Nice & spicy. Texture is not perfect, I expect it needs to be fattier, but it was pretty similar to the drier parts of a kebab.
A-/B+?
Vivera
Plant Spicy Chicken Kebab Style
Too soft, but the texture is good. It tastes nice, similar to their shawarma kebab.
A-/B+?
Vivera
Plant Greek Style Kebab
Good. Pretty much identical to their Shawarma kebab in texture but less spicy in flavour. I assume this is meant to be like Gyros, but it could be used as Doner meat too.
A-/B+?
This
Isn't Lamb Kebabs
They taste good. Spicy and savoury. But the texture is too soft.
A-/B+
Plant Menu
No Lamb Koftas
We really liked these. The flavour is nice and spicy. The texture isn't too bad, although I do think it is slightly softer than real kofte.
A-/B+
Wheaty
Vegan Döner Kebab
This was ok, it came in smaller pieces like Vivera. The taste seemed ok, but was not very strong. It seemed ever so slightly too soft.
B/B+
Oumph!
The Spiced Kebab
This came in steak strip style pieces. The taste was really good (very similar to Vivera Shawarma), but the texture was too soft and spongy. You can hide it fairly well in a kebab with vegetables and other stuff.
B
Plant Pioneers
No Lamb & Mint Vegbabs
6 pieces on sticks, similar to kofte. They were ok. They had a lamb-like flavour, but I'm not sure on the texture. It was pretty good in a pitta with condiments and other stuff.
B
Squeaky Bean
Doner Spiced Beef Style Kebab
Very Smoky. No noticeable Doner flavouring. It tastes just like their chargrilled chicken pieces, with a very similar texture.
B-

Lunch Meat / Luncheon Meat / Cold Cuts etc.

I don't normally bother making sandwiches with meat in. If I make a sarnie at home I'd just use cheese. But we've been testing these to see what they're like just for fun.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Squeaky Bean
Spanish Chorizo Style Slices
Like all their products it's slightly too soft. But the flavour and spiciness is great! Even better than the Plant Pioneers Chorizo Shroomdogs.
A/A+
Quorn
Vegan Smoky Ham Slices
I am not sure how different these are to Quorn's vegetarian ham slices, they seem very similar. But they do seem to have just the right amount of smokiness that makes all the difference.
A
Squeaky Bean
NYC Deli Pastrami Style
Good flavour and texture. It tastes like it's been cured somehow. It's soft, but doesn't fall apart. I haven't had pastrami in forever so would need to try some to be able to decide the rating. We ate with cheese and crackers, then also had them in bagels with pickled gherkin and yellow mustard.
A?
La Vie
Plant-based Ham (Smoked)
The texture is not quite right and the flavour is a bit sweet and not quite right. But overall it's pretty good.
A?
La Vie
Plant-based Ham
Almost identical to the smoked version. I would need to try them side by side to tell the difference.
A?
Wheaty
VeganSlices Salami
These were pretty good. We only tried them on pizza as a pepperoni substitute. They're smaller in diameter than Plenty Reasons Pepperoni, but thicker. They are big salami slices. Unfortunately they aren't spicy at all, but they do have a good salami-like taste (James and Anne both preferred them). Again, they go a bit dry when cooked, but not as much as others. Flavour is more noticeable on pizza. I think we probably did these a disservice using them (and reviewing them) as a pepperoni substitute on pizza as they are probably intended more for sandwiches etc. We should try them again as a lunch meat.
A/B
Quorn
Vegetarian Ham Slices
Good flavour and texture. Slightly thicker than I would prefer. They definitely aren't wafer thin. Alright on pizza.
B/A
Squeaky Bean
Applewood Smoked Ham
A bit soft. The taste is pretty good, but it doesn't seem that smoky.
B+
Rudy's Vegan Butcher
Fennel Pastrami
The texture is pretty good, but it's a bit softer than I'd like. The taste is sweet to the point that it's off-putting. But it does taste nice.
B/B+
Richmond
Meat-Free No-Ham Deli Slices
The taste and texture are both not quite right (they are a bit too soft and the flavour is just not quite there), but they're ok.
B/B+
Squeaky Bean
Honey Roast Ham
It taste ok, but there wasn't much "honey roast" taste to it. A bit soft.
B
Peperami
Vegerami
The texture isn't too bad. It's a bit firmer and chewier than the Wheaty ones. The flavour is good but it's quite boring. Nowhere near the flavour of a meat Peperami.
B/B-
Wheaty
Chili Snacker
I think this is meant to be like a Peperami? (does it need it's own category?) The spiciness is quite nice. The texture is not right, it's quite dense which I guess is good. But it doesn't taste like meat, it taste wheaty.
B-
Wheaty
Chorizo Snacker
Just like the chilli one but without the spiciness. It has a nice flavour, but it is still "wheaty" tasting. Also it's off-putting how the outside of both products is so smooth.
B-

Meatballs

Meatballs seem to be either super firm, or soft. They hardly ever specify whether they are trying to mimic pork or beef.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Beyond Meat
Beyond Meatballs
Frozen
Just like the beyond mince or burgers, but slightly chewier.
A+
Future Farm
Future Meatball
Chilled
Great texture. I may have overcooked them because I was worried they'd be undercooked. Super meaty flavour, to the point it didn't seem realistic, it was like eating beef flavour crisps. A bit expensive.
A
This
Isn't Pork Meatballs
Chilled
The taste and texture are great. It's like their sausage meat rolled into a meatball. They are quite soft and James thinks they should have more texture to them, but I think they're great.
A
Moving Mountains
Plant-Based Meatballs
Frozen
Porky in flavour. Firm, but not too hard. They have a softness on the inside without being spongy, and the texture is not uniform and has strands that makes it feel more meaty. I cooked them in the oven, but they had instructions for pan frying too.
A
The Vegetarian Butcher
Unbelievaballs
Chilled
Very soft. The taste is nice, beefy I think. James didn't care too much for them. The texture is fairly good. It's in little strands kind of like minced beef. But you can't really tell because they are so soft.
A/B+
Plant Pioneers
Meat Free Meatballs
Frozen
When we cooked them in the oven (like the instructions advise) they firmed up and were more like beef, but when I just chucked them in a pasta sauce and simmered them they were a soft texture and definitely more on the porky side of flavour. I actually liked them more on the softer side but you have to be careful as they fall apart easily.
A/B
Bird's Eye Green Cuisine
Meat-Free Meatballs
Frozen
These stayed fairly soft when cooked as instructed. Not as soft as simply simmering Plant Pioneers meatballs, but similar (these had more of a crust on the outside and didn't seem like they would fall apart). The flavour was pretty good and meaty. It seemed more beefy than porky.
B
Tivall
Vegetarian Meatballs
Frozen
They are quite firm. The texture is pretty good. The flavour is savoury, but not specifically like any particular meat (I guess more beefy than porky?).
B
Plant Menu
Meat-Free Meatballs
Frozen
The texture is pretty good. They were quite, but not overly firm (I did over cook them slightly). The flavour is more bready than anything else, there isn't really any meat flavour.
B
Plant Chef
Meat-Free Balls
Chilled
They taste ok (fairly salty), but the texture was odd. It reminds me of the steaks we've tried. They are fairly soft, extremely smooth in texture, but also really dense.
C/B
Oumph!
Oumph Balls
Frozen
They taste good, but were not really meaty, just kind of salty. They were fairly soft, but not mushy.
D

Minced Beef / Lamb / Turkey

Minced meat seems to come in two texture types: chewy or soft. They both seem to tend to retain their original texture when cooked. The soft type is useful for shaping meat into meatballs or burgers etc. as it can be pressed together to form one big mass. For any other use I prefer the chewy kind. Soft kind is usually refrigerated, and chewy is usually (but not always) frozen.

Chewy

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Quorn
Mince
Pretty good and versatile.
A
Vivera
Plant Mince
This is really good. It's quite chewy, almost gristly, but softens as you cook it. The flavour is pretty good too. It might even be better than Quorn, but it is expensive and comes chilled (not frozen) in a 200g packet. It's not really good value for family meals.
A
Plant Revolution
Mighty Mince
Kind of of like smaller pieces of Quorn mince, or ever so slightly larger than Plant Pioneers / Plant Chef etc. They're a bit rubbery in their chewiness, but otherwise good. Can't comment on flavour much because they were in enchiladas.
B/B+
Plant Pioneers
No Meat Mince
They come out the package like really hard little chips but soften up as you cook them. Not to be confused with their unfrozen No Beef Mince (which I haven't tried yet)
B
Plant Chef
Meat-Free Mince
Basically identical to the Plant Pioneers mince (probably made in the same factory. Comes in a 454g bag compare to Plant Pioneers 500g.
B
The No Meat Company
No Bull Mince
Basically identical to the Plant Pioneers, Plant Chef, and Linda McCartney mince. But it comes in a 320g bag.
B
Linda McCartney's
Vegemince
These seemed almost identical to the Plant Pioneers mince (but almost twice the price). I like the chewiness of both minces, but it's odd that the pieces are so small, it seems a bit insubstantial.
B
VFC
Chick*n Mince
Fine. Just tiny flecks of chewiness. I couldn't really get a sense of the taste because of what I cooked it in.
B
Tivall
Vegetarian Mince
This mince was ok, but the pieces are absolutely tiny. They're not even little chips like the Plant Pioneers mince, it's more like tiny grains. It just seemed a bit weird.
B-

Soft

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Future Farm
Future Mince
This is great. Super beefy (like their meatballs), but less overpowering when cooked in to stuff. It starts off fairly firm for a soft mince and is firmer when cooked. It's annoying how it's only 250g and most other mince packs are 400g.
A
This
Isn't Beef Mince
The texture is really good. Chewy. Kind of tastes like beef crisps like the Future Farm brand mince. It also only comes in 250g and most other mince packs are 400g.
A
Beyond Meat
Beyond Mince
I feel like we need to have this again to judge it properly. I cooked it in meatloaf with Quorn mince. It tasted good, but the texture was fairly soft. Not sure if it was the mince or the milk I added to the meatloaf mix. I should try making enchiladas or something with it.
A-?
Plant Menu
Meat-Free Mince
Slightly less firm than Taste & Glory? (not much in it). It seemed to firm up really well when cooked. It's hard to comment on flavour because I cooked it in a meatloaf, but it tasted good.
A/B
Richmond
Meat-Free No Beef Mince
This one was hard to place. It stayed very soft after cooking, but I didn't cook it as long as the instructions (which only said how to cook it into sauce, but I was making enchiladas). But the flavour was really good, very meaty in a way that reminded me of Future Farm (not quite the same, but similar). I'll have to give it another try, but at the moment the texture seemed on par with Meatless Farm mince in terms of softness. Also the packet was a really weird 335g.
A/B
Taste & Glory
Mince
Slightly firmer than Meatless Farm. It took a bit more effort to combine it with other ingredients, but once cooked it seemed a bit firmer.
B
Plant Kitchen
More Than Mince
It was ok. It smelled a bit funny raw. It was hard to tell the taste in enchiladas, but it didn't seem very meaty. And it was still kind of soft still when cooked.
B
Meatless Farm
Meat Free Mince
I wouldn't use it unless I'm making a recipe that needs soft mince and I can't get another brand. Not that it's bad, it just stays too soft for my liking.
C

Minced Pork

It seems different enough from other minced meats to list separately. Not really sure what to do with it other than use in Chinese dishes (I'm definitely not making my own sausages). I need to find a good recipe where I can make a comparison.

Brand
Product Name
Texture
Comment
Rating
Omni
Omnipork Mince
Soft
This firms up well to a good texture when cooked. It's chewy but not soft. Not entirely sure about the taste because I cooked it in a sauce, but I think it was good.
B+?

Pasties / Pies

Not something I'd normally buy but we saw them so thought we'd give them a try.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Naughty Vegan
No Beef Pasties
Frozen
The pastry cooked unevenly so some bits were slightly soft, but not uncooked. The filling has more flavour than the Ginsters pasty. The meat isn't really noticeable, it's mainly filled with carrot, potato and peas. It's also a bit peppery.
A-
Ginsters
Vegan Quorn Pasty
Chilled
It was good. Not much flavour or texture to the meat, but there was plenty of it (along with some potato). The pastry was really good.
A-/B+
Pukka
Vegan Chicken & Mushroom
Chilled
Good amount of filling in the pie, the gravy being the overwhelming flavour (mushroom more than chicken). The pastry is good. The chicken pieces themselves are a bit soft, but they're not spongy.
A-/B+
Quorn
Vegetarian Steak & Gravy Pies
Frozen
Big chunks of meat, that are quite soft and can't really taste them over the gravy. The flavour is nice, it's a bit peppery but also a bit sweet. The pies got stuck in the foil case which was annoying.
A-/B+
Pukka
Vegan Minced Steak & Onion
Chilled
Similar to their chicken pie. The difference being the flavour is more savoury and a bit peppery. The mince is in very small chewy pieces, but it's pretty good.
A-/B+
Plant Pioneers
No Steak Pies
Frozen
The gravy is really nice and the pastry is good (or at least not bad). There's a bit of onion, but mainly it's small meaty cubes. They are very soft and don't taste of a great deal, but there's lots of flavourful gravy to make up for it. It's a bit sweeter than the Linda McCartney Country Pie we tried at the same time. The pies are a bit smaller than all the other ones we've tried.
A-/B+
Plant Menu
No Chicken Katsu Bakes
Frozen
The pastry is nice and flaky. The curry sauce is good, but it's super salty. The chicken is fine, it's in really small pieces and not covered in breading like I expected for some reason. They're a bit too soft, and they don't really taste of anything on their own. But it's still tasty because of the curry sauce.
B+
Plant Menu
No Beef Pasties
Frozen
The pastry is good. It has a potato, pea, carrot and mince filling The mince texture is ok, but there's not much flavour to it. Overall it's very peppery (it's the overwhelming flavour), so as long as you like pepper these are pretty good.
B+
Fry's
Curry Pies
Frozen
The sauce (gravy?) tastes like the curry sauce you get in a chip shop. They're a bit light on filling, little pieces of chewy beef pieces and peas and potato, but at least there's plenty of sauce. The instructions said cook 30-35 minutes so I did 32 but the bottom of the pastry was still soft and somewhat raw. It did say put it on a baking tray in the oven, I put it straight on the shelf. Maybe a tray would have heated up and cooked the bottom properly (I'll try it like they suggest next time).
B+
Plant Menu
No Chicken Bakes
Frozen
Tastes ok. A savoury gravy that was almost mushroomy. The meat wasn't anything special. Small spongy pieces that didn't really taste of anything.
B+/B
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian Country Pies
Frozen
The meat is in tiny little soy pieces that just get lost in the gravy. The gravy is ok though. It has a hint of sweetness.
B/B+?
Naughty Vegan
No Chick N Mushroom Pies
Frozen
The crust on top is nice and flaky, but oddly on the sides it's more soft like slightly soggy shortcrust. The chicken pieces are a good size, but they are very soft and taste like soy. The it's less mushroomy than the Pukka pie. It's just a bit less interesting in general (but is slightly bigger).
B
The No Meat Company
No Bull Pasties
Frozen
These tasted good, but felt like they could have done with more meat pieces. It seemed more like vegetables in a meaty gravy. Also both pasties split open while cooking. They were nice though.
B

Pigs in Blankets

Not something I'd normally buy or eat but we saw them so thought we'd give them a try.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Plant Pioneers
Shroompups in blankets
Chilled
These were good in general. The bacon doesn't taste of much but crisps up well. It's a bit dry though. Also "pups" in blankets is an offputting name... (I guess it's because their normal size sausages are shroomdogs)
B

Pizza

I feel like reviewing pre-made pizzas is a waste of time. I'm more interested in reviewing the meat on them, which you can normally buy separately anyway. But we tried this one so I thought I'd put it here to remind me I've tried it.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Plant Pioneers
Spicy No Meat Pizza
Chilled
The pizza was fine, but the pepperoni was just not that good or noticeable, like always.
B/B-?

Pork Pies

I used to eat pork pies fairly often, but haven't had one in years.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Plant Pioneers
Snack No Pork Pies
These were a fairly good attempt. The taste was ok, but could be slightly stronger. The texture was not quite right, the meat was a bit crumbly. No jelly inside which is fine because not all pork pies have it, but it could do with being slightly less dry. It would probably benefit from using non-vegan pastry, but it's good enough as it is.
B/A

Pulled Pork / Pork Pieces

I love pulled pork, but who ever bothers to make it themselves? I have it only rarely when we eat out.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
eatplanted
Pulled (BBQ)
Not as sweet as the other ones we've tried. It's like it's just BBQ and the others are sweet BBQ or something (I don't know a lot about BBQ). The size and shape of the pieces is good. The texture is not quite right, it reminds me more of kebab pieces than pulled pork. It needs to be softer.
A-
Plant Menu
No Pulled Pork
The sauce is sticky and sweet. The texture if not quite right, but I do like the contrast of the soft inside and the crisp outside after shredding it. I think the texture is actually not that bad.
B+
Dopsu
No-Pork Pieces
Very similar to the Oumph pieces, but without any pre-applied sauce (so more flexible). It's hard to comment on the tasted because I cooked them in a sauce, but the texture was pretty good. Again, like the Oumph pieces it reminded me slightly of the No Meat Company's No Chick Strips.
B+
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian Pulled Pork ¼lb Burgers
The texture is ok (much better than the Oumph chunks). It's more in flakes than strands, and should be stringier? The taste is ok, it's a bit sweet, but not really like BBQ sauce (Oumph! tastes much better). Also there's a definite wheat protein aftertaste.
B
Oumph!
Pulled BBQ Chunks
I feel bad only giving this a B because Anne and I really liked this. It has a good sweet barbeque flavour, with a hint of spiciness. The texture is ok, but it's not like pulled pork. It made me think of The No Meat Company's No Chick Strips. Anne said it reminded her a bit of mock duck.
B
Plant Menu
BBQ No Pork Bon Bons
It is kind of like a BBQ pork nugget. The breadcrumb is super crispy. The meat is kind of BBQ pork in flavour, but the texture is very soft.
B/B-

Ribs

Not something I eat that often, but I have a pretty good memory of them. I think it will be hard to make these feel realistic without some kind of fake bone.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
The Vegilantes
R*bs With Smoky BBQ Sauce
The BBQ sauce tastes great (it's interesting applying it yourself partway through cooking). The fibrous texture of the ribs seems ok, but it's way too soft. The flavour of the meat is not very meaty, but the sauce hides it pretty well.
B/B-
Oumph!
Sticky Smokehouse Rib Style
Taste was ok, but there was an underlying soy taste that wasn't masked. And the texture was bad, it was like spongy layers of a bad chicken substitute rather than the kind of texture you'd expect. James hated them. I thought it was odd it comes frozen, but then you defrost before cooking.
C-

Roasts

Not sure this is really necessary as a category, but I don't know where else to put this.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Quorn
Roast
Quite salty. The texture is too soft. The taste is ok, but not very interesting. Not even really sure what meat it's trying to mimic.
B-/C-

Sausage Rolls

The best veggy sausage rolls come from Greggs, but you can't buy them from the supermarket (Update: now you can, but they're not the same). I don't tend to buy them in general so doubt we'll be testing many.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
The No Meat Company
No Porkies Meat-Free Sausage Rolls
Good flaky pastry and a good amount of sausage with a decent texture. Flavour isn't very strong, but it does have a nice herbiness to it.
A/A-
Squeaky Bean
Snacks Sausage Rolls
Ok. Boring cold. Warmed up it's good. lots of crispy pastry. Needs a bit more sausage meat, but what is there is nice. On the slightly drier side?
A-
Pukka
Vegan Sausage Roll
Microwaved it and it was a bit soggy. The texture was ok. The flavour is a bit off/boring. Need to try it again oven cooked.
A-
Naughty Vegan
No Piggy In The Middle Rolls
Very similar to the Quorn rolls. Great flaky pastry, plenty of sausage with a good texture (but again not much flavour to it). The main downside is they come frozen and take 25 - 30 minutes to cook.
A-/B+
Plant Menu
No Sausage Rolls
The pastry is ok, it's a bit softer and not as flaky. The sausage texture is good though (slightly soft) and has a decent herby sausage-like flavour.
B+
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Meat - Free Sausage Rolls
The pastry is nice and flaky but it's a bit dry. There's a good amount of sausage. There's not a great deal of flavour to it but it's not bad You can taste sausage spices. The texture is a bit softer than expected and it's a bit too uniform (there's not much resistance at all when you bite in to it).
B/B+
Quorn
Sausage Rolls
Good. Flaky pastry, plenty of sausage with a good texture. Feel like the sausage could have more flavour, maybe some herbs? But it was still good.
B/B+
Greggs
Vegan Sausage Rolls
Disappointing. They are not as good as the ones you buy in Greggs. The pastry is nice and flaky, but it's a bit dry, almost floury. I thought it would be at least slightly buttery, but it's not at all. The sausage meat is fine (it's a bit soft) but there's not much flavour to it.
B/B+
Plant Kitchen
No Pork Sausage Roll
The pastry is good. The sausage isn't very sausage-like in flavour, just general savouriness. The texture is fine it seems a bit layered, kind of like chicken. Anne thinks this should get a B+.
B
Fry's
Sausage Roll
Better than the Fry's Mini ones, the texture was ok, still not a lot of taste (some herbs). Can't comment much on the pastry, it was a bit soggy/soft, but we just warmed them in the microwave when it said to put them in the oven.
B-/B
Plant Pioneers
Vegan No Sausage Roll
It was pretty good. Flaky pastry, plenty of sausage but the texture was very soft almost like paste. Again, I feel like the sausage could have more flavour, maybe some herbs? But it was still good. The cooking time they suggested made the pastry slightly overcooked in my opinion.
B-
Fry's
Meat Free Mini Sausage Rolls
The only ones we tried cold. The meat inside has the same texture (and almost same taste) as the pastry on the outside. I feel like to be completely fair I should try them again warm, but doubt they'll be much better.
C

Sausages

Sausages are a pretty broad category, but this is for the kind you'd refer to as a "banger", and use in toad in the hole, or a fry-up. It seems sausages come in two types of textures. One is really dense and smooth / uniform and the other is less uniform with bits of varying texture and can seem a bit looser. From what I have read up on sausages I thought Cumberland were the non-uniform texture (because the meat is chopped rather than minced) and Lincolnshire were the uniform ones (and tend to be more herb-dominated, particularly with Sage). I think I prefer Cumberland, but Anne and James prefer Lincolnshire. But what I've found is that different brands sausages vary in texture regardless of whether they call them Linconshire-style or Cumberland-style. So I've just decided to separate them out by my experience of their texture.

The good news is of all the ones we've tried, none of them were bad. I'd happily eat any of these.

Non-Uniform

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Future Farm
Future Sausage
Chilled
Annoyingly 5 in a pack. A really good snap when biting in to them. The texture is pretty good too, but maybe a bit dry. But that could be because I cooked them for 30 minutes in toad in the hole. Not sure about the flavour, I think it's pretty good. Kind of porky. I would like to try them again just pan fired.
A
Cauldron
Vegetarian Cumberland Sausages
Chilled
Good chewy texture, good flavour and good skin.
A
Plant Kitchen
Bangers
Chilled
A bit on the soft side. But juicy and taste good. Pretty good skin too.
A/A-
Cauldron
Vegetarian Lincolnshire Sausages
Chilled
Very similar texture to Cauldron's Cumberland sausages. Maybe slightly more herbs.
A-
Meatless Farm
Chipolata Sausages
Chilled
Almost identical to the Vegetarian Butcher Little Willies. But a bit nicer because they are slightly meatier and a tiny bit less herby, The texture is pretty good.
A-/B+
The Vegetarian Butcher
Little Willies (Miniature Lincolnshire Sausages)
Chilled
Miniature Lincolnshire sausages but they had a really meaty kind of texture, quite tightly packed / firm, but very fibrous. They tasted good. But not very juicy and no texture to the skin really. I liked the fact they cooked in 3 minutes. Worth buying at least once just so you can make jokes about the name.
B+
Meatless Farm
Meat Free Sausages
Chilled
They taste pretty good, a very strong sage flavour. The skin was nothing special, but they were good overall. Only grilling cooking instructions for some reason.
B
Plant Pioneers
Cumberland Shroomdogs
Frozen
They have really varying texture like a real sausage. The flavour is good, but there's something odd about it. And it might set off Anne's allergies (I can't remember). Otherwise I would place them higher (could be A). They'd be at the top if they could get rid of that aftertaste.
C

Uniform

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
This
Isn't Pork Sausages
Chilled
These are great. A good porky sausage flavour, not super herby like Richmond sausages. The skin is fine / ok, and the texture inside isn't bad. It has a tiny bit of non - uniformity to it. The only issue is they are a bit small / short. Also James and Owen didn't like them, but Anne and I loved them.
AA-/A+
Richmond
Meat-Free Sausages
Chilled
Pretty firm. Not sure they are the best texture, but they have the best flavour so far. I think because Richmond make meat sausages too and use the same spice / herb mix, so it really reminds you of the meat versions.
A
Vivera
Plant Bangers
Chilled
These were Anne's favourite. They are dense, but have a bit of texture to them still. When cooked in toad in the hole the skin went pretty tough on one side, but they had a good bite to them on the other side. But they were expensive and only come 4 in a pack.
A-
Quorn
Vegetarian Sausages
Frozen
These are good. Not quite as dense as the Richmond ones. A good flavour, but less herby. The skin on these are really good.
A-
This
Isn't Pork Caramelised Onion Sausages
Chilled
We tested these in toad in the hole with some Richmond sausages. These were good, but very oniony. They are like the Plant Pioneers ones (check the hotdog section), but more meaty.
A-
Richmond
Sage & Onion Sausages
Chilled
They do taste like sage and onion, but otherwise there's not a lot of flavour. The texture's not bad.
A-/B+
Plant Menu
Ultimate No Pork Sausages
Frozen
They look a bit anaemic. But the texture is pretty good and they taste good. They release quite a bit of oil when cooked.
B+/A-
Richmond
BBQ Sauce Flavour Sausages
Chilled
There's a hint of BBQ flavour but it's not really noticeable. They are still pretty decent though.
B+
Heck
Meat-free Chipolatas
Chilled
The flavour is pretty good. They remind me of the Richmond sausages. The texture is very uniform. The skin is fine.
B+
Taste & Glory
Sausages
Chilled
These taste good, very smooth texture. The skin was nothing special, but they were good overall. Anne really likes them.
B+/B
GRO
Sizzlin' Sausages
Chilled
These were ok. They were very dense. The skin was fine, but just kind of fell off. The taste isn't bad.
B
Quorn
Brilliant Bangers!
Chilled
Quite soft inside, even though I thought I overcooked them. Pretty uniform texture, but too soft to tell. I think none of us were that keen on the texture. Maybe I should have cooked them on a higher temperature (I did medium heat like the packet said). It is a shame because the flavour is really good.
B/B-
Quorn
Best of British Sausages
Chilled
Skin was a bit weird but they taste ok, super smooth texture. They are a lot thicker and somewhat shorter than most other sausages.
B/C
Taifun
Grill Sausages
Chilled
They taste ok, but it's nothing like actual sausage. The texture inside is soft like tofu. If you cook them long enough they get a crust on the outside which is quite nice, but it's not like a sausage skin and they aren't like real sausages.
C

Neither

Basic veggy sausages that don't fall under either of the above categories. I'm keeping track of them here so I know I've tried them and don't keep buying them by mistake.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Birds Eye Green Cuisine
Succulent Meat-Free Sausages
Frozen
These had a non-existent skin. They taste alright but the texture was more like a veggy burger made into a sausage shape. Not really trying to be meat-like, just a decent veggy sausage.
D
Plant Revolution
Herby Sausages
Frozen
No skin on them. The texture is ok, the flavour is not. They are more like Linda McCartney sausages.
D
Heck
Vegan Breakfast
Frozen
These were tasty, but were nothing like meat. Also they took 25 minutes to pan fry. That's twice the time as almost all the other sausages we've tried.
D
Clearspot
Wood Smoked Tofu Sausages
Chilled
Very smoky, very crumbly. Not like meat at all.
D
Plant Menu
Onion & Rosemary Sausages
Frozen
They look a bit like Linda McCartney's, with no skin. They taste ok, they were a bit dry and the texture is bready, like stuffing.
D
Plant Menu
Red Pepper & Butternut Squash Sausages
Chilled
These taste alright, but are not really like meat at all.
D

Sausage (Breakfast)

This is for what Anne calls breakfast sausage. It's got a very particular flavour from whatever herbs and spices they use and you get it a lot in the US (especially in big sausage shapes and you slice and fry it as patties) in like an Egg McMuffin or with pancakes, etc.

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
Moving Mountains
Plant-Based ¼lb Sausage Burgers
Patties
Good taste (Anne says perfect). Great texture with realistic gristly bits. A bit soft round the edges but that was probably because I was trying to cook them on a hob too small for the pan (the big pan was being used for pancakes). Only downside is they are only a pack of 2 so if you are feeding more people maybe The No Meat Company is better.
AA
The No Meat Company
No Porkies Cumberland Style Sausages
Sausages
These were great. No skin at all so that makes them less sausage-like, but the texture was good and even though they call them Cumberland they taste just like breakfast sausage. Maybe if you defrosted them you could squish them in to patties, but then the texture may suffer and not sure how long you'd cook them. Only cooking instructions was for in the oven.
A
Quorn
Sausage Patties
Patties
Taste good, but flavour maybe slightly less strong than the others we've tried (still good though). A bit drier than I'd like but I did overcook them a bit because I was trying to cook waffles at the same time. I've only seen these on sale in Asda and Morrisons. Anne said these are actually her favourite because they are the correct size and shape.
B+/A-?

Sausage (Cocktail)

I think cocktail sausages are pretty rubbish at the best of times, so it's a pretty low bar.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Tivall
Cocktail Sausages
Frozen
These aren't really mini sausages, but mini frankfurters (I would move them to the Frankfurters section, but they literally call them Cocktail Sausages on the packet). They are pretty much identical to the Tivall Frankfurters, but ⅓ the length.
A/B+
This
Isn't Pork Cocktail Sausages
Chilled
Pretty good texture. Very savoury, maybe a bit too much so? (Anne said they're almost bitter)
B+
Linda McCartney's
Vegetarian Cocktail Sausages
Chilled
They taste pretty good and the texture isn't bad either. They do seem a little bit bready (in both taste and texture).
B/B+
Quorn
Cocktail Sausages
Chilled
Anne preferred these to the This ones. I thought they were drier. They are savoury, but less savoury than This. The texture isn't bad, but it does seem a bit bready. The flavour is decent.
B
Plant Revolution
Cocktail Sausages
Chilled
The texture is extremely bready. They do taste a bit sausage-like, but otherwise they are quite bland.
B-
Gosh!
Veggie Cocktail Sausages
Chilled
They had the texture and taste of chickpeas.They were nice enough, but nothing like meat.
D

Sausage (Other: Chorizo, Pepperoni, etc.)

A category that's for anything that's not a normal sausage or frankfurter. I might split this out in to separate categories in future.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Plant Kitchen
No Chorizo Puppies
Very similar to the Plant Pioneers chorizo. Not as spicy, but the flavour is great and the texture is good too.
A/A+
Belazu
Ve-Du-Ya
It's not really very meaty at all. It's just a paste, but the spicy taste is so good and spot on for Nduja. It would be even better if it did have a meaty flavour or texture though.
A
Plant Pioneers
Chorizo Shroomdogs
These are really good. Feel like they could be a bit spicier, but they're still the best.
A
Plant Revolution!
Chorizo - Style Sausages
These are almost identical to the Plant Pioneers ones. Just a bit thicker and shorter. I'd need to try them side by side to see if there is any flavour difference.
A
Squeaky Bean
Cooking Chorizo
It looks like an actual cured sausage. Straight out the packet the texture is really good. Realistically tough and chewy. The flavour is pretty good too. Cooked on pizza it doesn't soften at all. It's still super chewy, but can go crispy at the edges. The flavour does mute quite a bit, but isn't lost completely.
A/A-
Wheaty
Merguez
These are great. They taste really nice and spicy. But they weren't as noticeable on pizza so I wouldn't waste them on that. I would just eat these on their own.
A-
Heura
Sausages Originals
Only 4 in a pack, but they are quite long. I bought them thinking they were just normal sausages but the taste and texture is more like hamburger. I think they are meant to be like beef sausages. The skin on them isn't great. It stuck to the pan and came off in slimy lumps.
A-
Squeaky Bean
Spicy Pepperoni Style Slices
Not much flavour, but I still think it's slightly better thn most of the other pepperonis that we've tried. Very soft though, it would just fall apart. And they didn't crisp up at all.
B
SGAiA
Pepperoni Style Slices
24 large and thick slices. The instructions tell you for pizza to put under the cheese (presumably so they don't dry out). The texture is a bit too soft and the flavour is a bit wheaty. The pepperoni is not really noticeable on the pizza. Anne liked them, but none of the pepperonis we've tried have been spicy enough (or at all) for my liking.
B
Plenty Reasons
Meatless Pepperoni
These are big thin slices of pepperoni, not small slightly thicker disks like the Quorn ones. They were good, but the flavour got lost a bit in the pizza. They were also a bit dry.
B
VBites
Pimenton spiced Vorizo Cubes
These tasted good but they were a bit dry.
B
Plant Kitchen
Vegan 'Nduja Paste
It's ok. Very tomatoey. Nowhere near as good as the Belazu version.
B
Wheaty
Vegansausage Chorizo
It started firm, but went quite soft when cooked. Not much flavour, mainly paprika and an underlying wheatiness.
B/B-
Quorn
Vegan Pepperoni
Flavour seems a bit bland. It does seem to curl and crisp up around the edges on pizza which is cool.
B-

Seafood

Anything that doesn't belong in the fish section. There are very limited number of products available, but I'll try all the ones I can find.

Brand
Product Name
Form
Comment
Rating
Happiee!
Breaded Shrimpiee
Scampi (Breaded)
A bit firmer than scampi. Not a very strong flavour (they didn't taste of much at all). Nice breading. Only 15 in a pack.
B+

Schnitzel

I have to admit it's been so long since I've had schnitzel, I couldn't really judge this properly.

Brand
Product Name
Frozen / Chilled
Comment
Rating
Tivall
Vegetarian Schnitzels
Chilled
These are pretty good. I'm not sure the flavour is quite correct but it doesn't really matter. James said he preferred them to nuggets or scampi. Owen said they were worse.
B
VBites
Meat-Free Schnitzel
Chilled
These had good breading and tasted better than the Tivall schnitzel, but are a bit thinner and drier. Not as juicy. Fairly strong nutmeg flavour? Better fried then oven baked as they're not as dry.
B-

Steak

I really don't care about steak. To me it's the least interesting kind of meat. I haven't had a real one in 10 years so I'm going to be a poor judge.

Brand
Product Name
Comment
Rating
Juicy Marbles
Thick-Cut Filet
I have never eaten real filet mignon so couldn't really judge this properly. The texture seemed quite realistic, quite flaky. The flavour was fairly meaty. It got very crispy on the edges (and stuck to the pan a lot). But James liked the crust and Owen ate it all (and gave it a B+). Anne didn't like it.
A-
Vivera
Plant Steak
We tested this and the Plant Pioneers one together. There wasn't much in it, neither have the texture of meat, but Vivera wins because Owen ate it without complaint. It is sweeter and tastes a bit like meatloaf. It was chewier, slightly less uniform, and more dense than the Plant Pioneers steak.
B
Plant Pioneers
No Beef Steaks
We tested this and the Vivera one together. James preferred this one. Anne and I couldn't decide. This one was smokier and maybe more savoury (or it just didn't have the sweetness that the Vivera ones did). It was softer in texture (but still fairly dense), more uniform and less chewy. It had a kind of snappiness to it when you bit in to it. It's hard to explain.
B
Quorn
Peppered Steaks
These were tasty enough, but the texture was far too soft. Also it didn't really seem peppery at all.
B
The No Meat Company
No Bull Mushroom Steaks
Super mushroomy. They're super savoury and taste really nice, but they're not like meat at all. The texture is not right, you can feel chunks of mushroom when you bite in to it.
D

Substitute Suggestion By Recipe (or ingredient)

Chicken Pie

Cut up chicken chunks work well. Specifically Iceland No Chick Strips (but I defrost them so I can cut the pieces up smaller). I haven't tried Heura chunks but I imagine they'd be just as good (with no defrosting needed).
This Isn't Chicken also works quite well. Also if adding bacon I would use Quorn bacon, although I haven't tried it with the new Richmond bacon.

Enchiladas

Chewy mince is best. I haven't picked out a preferred brand yet. Texture is the real deciding factor, because the flavour is masked quite a bit by all the spices. Beyond Meat and Future Farm are both good because there is a meatiness that is noticeable among the spices, but they are both expensive and the packets are small (so you need more vegetables to bulk it up) so I'd go with something cheaper in a bigger packet unless it's a special occasion.

Fajitas

For chicken fajitas either Heura strips or chunks or No Chick Strips work best. I prefer Heura Strips because they are already the right shape. You can just cut the Heura or No Chick chunks in to strips, but because the shape and size of the chunks vary a lot you get a lot more random little pieces instead of strips. Which doesn't matter (or is preferred) in something like chicken pie, but for fajitas I think proper strips work best. This Isn't Chicken also works really well as long as you marinate it first and as long as you don't mind fairly big chunks of chicken.

Fry-Up

  • Sausage: If you like US-style breakfast sausage then go for Moving Mountains ¼lb Sausage Burger (but The No Meat Company No Porkies Cumberland Style Sausages are also perfectly fine). Otherwise go for Cauldron Vegetarian Cumberland Sausages (maybe This Isn't Pork Sausages too, we haven't tried them yet).
  • Bacon: I haven't tried any bacon yet that I think is good enough to be used in a Fry-Up. I guess for now if you want Danish use VBites All Day Bcn Vdeli Rashers. For Streaky bacon use Plant Pioneers Smoky Vacon Rashers.
  • Black Pudding: Haven't tried any vegetarian black pudding yet.

Mapo Tofu

This Isn't Pork Sausages work really well if you mash them up with a fork in a bowl, then break it up again as you are cooking it in the wok. You can use chilled, or get the frozen ones and defrost them, but I find the defrosted ones are a bit drier and harder to mash.

Meatloaf

I tried with soft mince and the meatloaf formed up well but the texture at the end was a bit soft. I tried with chewy mince and had trouble getting it all to stick together, then once it was cooked it was very crumbly. I found the best results came from mixing both chewy and soft minces together. The last one was 400g Meatless Farm and 300g Quorn. It worked well. It would be interesting to try 50 / 50. I did try it with 520g Taste & Glory 400g Plant Pioneers. it was crumbly coming out the oven, but a lot firmer the following day. Would be worth trying Quorn with Taste & Glory. But more 50 / 50. Plant Menu was in between Taste & Glory and Meatless Farm (seemed the best result?). Beyond Mince 300g and Quorn 350g worked ok, but it was fairly soft (but not crumbly). I think if I put in less milk in to make it less wet that may have helped, but it was still one of the best tasting so far. Would like to try Quorn and Future Farm mix.

Okonomiyaki

This Isn't Streaky Bacon works really well as a substitute for the pork belly topping on the Okonomiyaki.

Pizza toppings

  • Ham: Quorn Vegetarian Ham Slices are the only ones I've tried so far, but they worked well. I would like to try the Quorn Vegan Smoky Ham Slices, I think it might be better.
  • Chorizo: Plant Pioneers Chorizo Shroomdogs are really good.
  • Pepperoni: I guess Plenty Reasons Pepperoni. But I think we haven't found a really good Pepperoni yet. Wheaty Salami is better, but it's not spicy.
  • Chicken: Undecided. I tried Heura chunks and they were good, but super salty and they went a bit crispy on the edges. I also tried Quorn pieces pre-cooked with some homemade BBQ sauce. That was pretty good, but need to cut the chunks smaller, and they're still too soft. I think if you're going for a particular flavour (like chicken tikka) it might be easier to just use the Squeaky Bean flavoured pieces. I tried the Hot & Spicy ones which weren't great, but would try one of the better flavours and expect it would probably be pretty good.
  • Bacon: Only tried the Plenty Reasons bacon so far. I felt it wasn't really noticeable on the pizza, but I think the streaky style / texture is the right one for pizza. Need to try more options. Tried VBites too, it also was not that noticeable and was softer. Probably the best so far was Plant Pioneers Smoky Vacon Rashers. Would like to try This Isn't Streaky Bacon.
  • Salami: Wheaty Salami is the only one we've tried. But it's also pretty good.

Soup

  • Chicken: This Isn't Chicken is probably best because it doesn't go spongy or as soft as others can when boiled / simmered. Also it hides the slight chalkiness.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Beyond Mince is my new favourite. If you want to push the boat out Future Farm mince has the beefiest flavour. But the packs are small so it gets expensive if making a decent amount. Otherwise Quorn mince is always a solid choice.

Thai Curry

Chicken: Most chicken pieces go either spongy or soft when simmered in liquid. The only one that doesn't seem to do this is This Isn't Chicken, (and it loses it's chalkiness which is bonus), so I would pick it for Thai curries. It is expensive though. Heura or No Meat Company would also be fine (they aren't cheap either though), but they do soften slightly.

Toad In The Hole

Although I think the Richmond sausages have the best flavour, there's something about the Cauldron Cumberland Sausages that work really well in Toad In The Hole. They are the most like a real sausage. No matter what sausage I use, if they are frozen I defrost them before cooking because if they are frozen the batter doesn't cook properly. I would like to try the This Isn't Pork Sausages, it's just a shame they're a bit small. Or Beyond Meat sausages, but they are too big!

Buyer's Guide

Just because it's not obvious where to get some of these (and a reminder for me), here's a little guide of where you can get each brand. It is hard to do the same for specific products because products seem to disappear and reappear at random times. And some branches of a supermarket will have a product while another branch of the same supermarket will not (I'm still trying to find the Quorn Scampi that is supposedly in Sainsbury's).
  • Belazu: Planet Organic, or online
  • Better Naked: Co-op
  • Beyond Meat: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, and Whole Foods
  • Biff's Plant Shack: Waitrose
  • Birds Eye Green Cuisine: Pretty much any supermarket
  • Cauldron: Pretty much any supermarket
  • Chiki Monkey: Planet Organic
  • Clearspot: Planet Organic
  • Dopsu: Morrisons (and Sainsbury's and Tesco apparently)
  • eatplanted: Planet Organic, and maybe some supermarkets (can also order online)
  • Fry's: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's, Iceland and Ocado. Iceland have the biggest selection)
  • Future Farm: Sainsbury's
  • Garden Gourmet: Sainsburys (Nestlé apparently discontinued the brand but the website is still up)
  • Ginsters: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Morrisons)
  • Gosh!: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Morrisons)
  • Greggs: Exclusively at Iceland for the moment
  • GRO: Co-op (their own brand) and Nisa Local
  • Happiee!: Sainsbury's (and Ocado and Tesco apparently)
  • Heck: Pretty much any supermarket
  • Heura: Planet Organic
  • Juicy Marbles: Sainsbury's (and Tesco and Waitrose apparently)
  • La Vie: Sainsbury's and Waitrose
  • Like Meat: The Food Warehouse by Iceland (basically just like a bigger Iceland)
  • Linda McCartney's: Pretty much any supermarket
  • Meatless Farm: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Morrisons). Was acquired by VFC.
  • Moving Mountains: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Whole Foods)
  • Naughty Vegan: Morrisons
  • Omni: Sainsbury's
  • Oumph!: The Food Warehouse by Iceland (basically just like a bigger Iceland). Standard Icelands also
  • Plant Chef: Tesco (their own brand)
  • Plant Kitchen: M&S Food Hall (their own brand)
  • Plant Menu: Aldi (their own brand)
  • Plant Pioneers: Sainsbury's (their own brand)
  • Plant Revolution: Morrisons (their own brand)
  • Plant-It: Morrisons
  • Peperami: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's)
  • Plantlife: Waitrose (their own brand)
  • Plenty Reasons (was MeatLess): Planet Organic
  • Primal Spirit: Planet Organic
  • Pukka: Pretty much any supermarket
  • Quorn: Pretty much any supermarket (they seem to sell different products in different supermarkets)
  • Richmond: Pretty much any supermarket
  • Rudy's Vegan Butcher: Planet Organic
  • SGAiA: Whole Foods (and direct from their website)
  • Squeaky Bean: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Asda)
  • Taifun: Whole Foods. And Anne got them at some fancy deli on Green Lanes
  • Taste & Glory (was Naked Glory): Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's)
  • Tindle: Morrisons
  • The No Meat Company: Iceland (their own brand)
  • The Vegetarian Butcher: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Morrisons)
  • The Vegilantes: Morrisons
  • This: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Waitrose)
  • Tivall: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Tesco but they stock different products)
  • VBites: The local health food shops seem to stock it, but I ordered direct online (also a very limited number of products at Morrisons)
  • Veganz: Planet Organic
  • VFC: Sainsbury's and Tesco (might just be online)
  • Vivera: Pretty much any supermarket? (Definitely Sainsbury's and Asda)
  • Wheaty: Planet Organic, and Whole Foods (and randomly at the shop at the end of our road)