4Jul
A vegan shopping trip to Tesco
I’ve been away from the UK for a while.
Well, actually it has been more than a while. I’ve been in Mexico City for six months.
During my absence, it appears that vegan options in UK supermarkets have simply exploded in popularity and availability.
I popped into my local Tesco Extra earlier today and was completely blown away by the enormous range of vegan products lining the shelves.
Check out just some of the dozens and dozens of new vegan groceries I saw.
Yes there has been somewhat of an explosion. However, I’ve tried some of the wicked kitchen products and been disappointed in both the taste and the quality. Alongside being vegan I also have a chilli intolerance and many of the new products available have been dosed with chilli so not options for me. I also have a soy intolerance but on a lower level than chilli so I try to limit soy intake which is tricky because it’s in lots of things.
Also, for me personally, I dislike the taste and texture of actual meat ( reason I went vegetarian over 30 years ago – now vegan 3 years) so the vivera meat replalacemt items are completely unappealing and I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole, just like I wouldn’t touch quorn. But I do appreciate that items like these bridge a gap for people who want to make the switch to vegan but like meat.
Finally, I have yet to find any vegan cheese that doesn’t make me heave. After 3 years without cheese I actually no longer miss it and tbh many of the vegan cheeses are over processed so not necessarily a good thing for you anyway. Having said that, I am enjoying the new vegan ice cream form Ben & Jerry – their chocolate fudge brownie vegan version is good, despite being over processed!
On the whole the new vegan ranges that are appearing in supermarkets are a good thing. I’m just personally not finding many that taste anywhere near as good as they look and a lot of these products are overpriced too.
FGV, (btw I’m actually the female version of you!) have you discovered the Asda vegan spaghetti and meatballs ready meal yet? That is a really nice dish and reasonably priced.
I thought the Wicked wraps were delicious (espeically the sweet potato one) and would be keen to try more of that range. One of the best vegan ranges I’ve spotted so far has been Linda McCartney. Veggie pies, sausages and a “pulled pork” burger. All have been very good. Not saying eating loads of processed foods is the way to go, but defo makes life easier – and might help more people transition to a vegan lifestyle 🙂
The peanut butter Ben and Jerries vegan ice cream is amazing too 🙂
Ally, try Sainsbury’s vegan Cheddar and Caramelised Onion cheese (not the plain Cheddar one), it’s incredible. I’ve been vegan for over 30 years and never found a vegan cheese I could stand – until now!