Welcome to 2020. I thought that today, I would talk to you all, about, my opinion on Veganuary, and my thoughts on some of the Vegan products that have been released due to Veganuary.
So Veganuary, has been in the media for any and every reason. Ranging from health benefits for joining in and going Vegan for a month, to, ranting TV personalities harping on about it being rubbish and being reluctant to try a Vegan/Plant based item on National TV. I personally think that Veganuary is great. Yes, it might be hard to say, but, its a great way for people to slowly introduce plant based products into their diets. I also love it, as it means, that brands and supermarkets, expand their Vegan ranges thus ensuring that I have more of a choice when it comes to wanting lactose free items without having to go on an adventure to find them.
KFC
KFC announced that they were releasing a Vegan burger that would ensure that Vegans and plant based dieters were able to enjoy the delicious 11 herbs and spices that meat eaters have been enjoying for years.
'An Original Recipe QUORN™ fillet, coated in our famous 11 Herbs and Spices, in a sesame bun with fresh lettuce and vegan mayo.' (KFC's Website)
The Sesame Bun was a tad dry, the Mayo was great but there wasn't enough of it. The Lettuce added a bit of textural contrast. The burger itself was kind of weird. By weird, what I mean, is that it was pretty dry when tasting it for the first bite, but after applying some Ketchup to the fillet itself, it became unbelievably tender? I loved how tender the fillet was, but I shouldn't have had to apply moisture to it in the form of ketchup to make it tender. The taste however, was amazing from the get go. The herbs and spices came through. in particular, the Pepper came out the most when tasting the fillet on its own. I would definitely get this again if the Fillet itself was tender from the get go. I mean, I still want five even though the fillet wasn't the most tender to begin with.
Subway
Subway have killed it with Vegan Subs in the past. They released their first Vegan Sub in 2019, and, I loved it. That rich creamy Garlic Aioli was to die for. I'm not saying, that, I'd be fine with it being used on me as massage oil, but, I'm also not saying that I wouldn't be fine with it... Y'know? For 2020, Subway have decided to release a Meatless version, of, their well known Meatball Marinara Sub.
'Your bread selection filled with our plant based Meatless Meatballs smothered in a rich marinara sauce and topped with vegan cheese.' (Subway UK Website.)
I love Subway. I love their option of being able to choose what you want.I love their Footlong's as they're filling, and I love their balls, so I was more than intrigued to try the Plant based version. I was going to talk about the Sub as a whole, but it makes more sense to talk about the Meatless Balls, Marinara Sauce and Vegan Cheese.
Honestly, the Meatless Balls were amazing. They were pretty similar to the normal Meatballs in the form of texture. Slightly crispy on the outside, with a springy interior that is to die for. The only thing that made them different really was the taste. They were a tad on the bland side. If they had a bit of seasoning to them, then they would be perfect. The sauce, was exactly like the Marinara sauce that everyone loves, but, it was kind of thicker. I loved this because, well, I am the messiest eater you will ever meet in your life. The Cheese was amazing. I love Lacto Free/Vegan Cheese. This one melted amazingly. Honestly, I could just eat a mountain of the Vegan Cheese melted all day long.
Greggs
A year after the Vegan Sausage Roll took over the UK, Greggs are back with the Vegan Steak Bake.
'Our new vegan friendly Steak Bake has been designed to mirror some of the original Steak Bake’s classic features, including 96 layers of light and crisp puff pastry. But, instead we've teamed up with Quorn to wrap it around savoury flavour mycoprotein pieces and diced onions in a rich gravy.' (Greggs Website).
I need to try this one a couple more times, to fully get a true opinion of it, but from the two times I've tried it, I love it. I love how the pastry is pretty much like the pastry on the rest of the Greggs products, but without any of the animal based products. Sadly the rest of the Bake is a bit hit and miss.
My main problem, is kind of the name... The product resembles more Vegan Minced Beef and Onion Bake and if they had called it that, then this product would be amazing.. The Quorn was amazing but felt more like grains of Mince when it comes to texture, rather than the big chunks which are in the normal Steak Bake. The taste was amazing and umami, but the main flavour that I picked up on, was, Onion and the sauce was quite thick. I don't know why, but it was pretty much one step away from being Jelly, which is the part that I'm still not sure on. Overall though, a great plant based product from Greggs, and, I will definitely pick it up again.
Burger King
Okay, so the Rebel Whopper has been in the press for all the controversial reasons lately. I get that some may not want to try this, due, to being made on the same grill as meat based products. Nevertheless though, I am a hungry chubby person who needs to try everything that is new, and, this is new so I had to try it.
'The indulgent Rebel Whopper® consists of a juicy flame-grilled, 100% plant-based*, sustainably sourced soy patty topped with freshly sliced tomatoes, fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a toasted sesame seed bun.' (Burger King Website.)
This was pretty good. It tasted like the Whopper that you can buy at Burger King. My main two problems with this product, are, the rest of the stuff in the burger kind of hide the taste of the plant based patty itself which is mainly why most are buying the product, and, that the patty itself is pretty soft which means that the burger is kind of one note in form of texture.
Have you tried any of these? What's your opinion on Veganuary? Let me know down below!
Thanks for reading!
Jamie x
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