Subway T.L.C (Tastes Like Chicken) Tikka Review

 Hey everyone! 

I recently had to go out to run some errands. Whilst on my little trip outside, I decided to grab one of the new T.L.C (Tastes Like Chicken) Tikka Subs from Subway UK. I thought that today I would talk to you all about my thoughts on this new Vegan Fast Food product. 

'Introducing our new plant-based T.L.C.® Tikka, unbelievably delicious. Packed full of flavour with traditional Indian spices, loaded with crispy veggies.' - Subway UK. 

As you know, Subway is the land of imagination and choices. I decided to choose Hearty Italian bread, Vegan Cheese Toasted, Red Onion, Mixed Peppers and Gherkins with Garlic Aioli as the components that would be helping the Vegan Tikka sing when it came to consuming this sandwich.

The texture of the TLC Tikka itself reminded me of a very succulent strip of Chicken. I will probably use this reference many times throughout this post, but, imagine a piece of the ready cooked chicken that you can get for picnics and such in the supermarket but more succulent. I love that Subway have decided to ensure that these TLC pieces were in strip form rather than in chunks as it made for a more easy eating experience in my opinion. The soft and succulent TLC pieces contrasted with the crisp vegetables and slightly crunchy bread is what really made this sandwich an amazing product to consume. 

When I wrapped my mouth around this perfect product, the first flavour that jumped onto my tongue was the slightly spicy yet slightly sweet Tikka flavouring. To me, it reminded me of a classic Tikka flavouring that you can find in many products around the UK but with a little bit more sweetness to it. It made me think that Mango or something fruit based had been added to the Tikka paste as it had a slightly fruity yet slightly sweet tang to it. This flavouring was the main star of the show. However, once this flavour had flown from my tongue, the flavouring of the TLC came through. To me, the flavour notes of the pieces themselves reminded me of a sort of a savoury broth. Not too strong in flavour, but enough to add a bit of umami to the pieces and Tikka flavouring that coated them. Finally, the last flavour that hit my palette was the mixture of sour and heat from the mixture of Onion, Gherkins and Garlic Aioli. The Peppers did add a bit of sweetness but I noticed that the sweetness mainly didn't stand out unless it was paired with the TLC pieces. This mixture of sour and heat was amazing against the slightly sweet bread. I love anything that has a Garlic kick to it so it made me enjoy this superb Sub even more. 

Would I purchase this again? Definitely. I would get it again and maybe change some of the vegetables that go into it up a bit. The Tikka pieces themselves were great and I would love them to be around all year round! I'm glad that Subway are adding more meat free options and hopefully the T.L.S (Tastes Like Steak) comes to all stores soon. Definitely a bright burst of flavour that we all need during this very cold January! 

Have you tried the T.L.C Tikka? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

McDonalds UK McPlant Review

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I tried the McPlant from McDonalds recently and I thought that today I would talk to you all about it. 

'A vegan burger made with a juicy plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat® featuring vegan sandwich sauce, ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a vegan alternative to cheese in a sesame seed bun.'

The texture of this burger was amazing. I sometimes do think that the burger meat at McDonalds can vary and can sometimes be a little dry but this patty was anything but dry. It was succulent and honestly did feel very much like the texture of a succulent burger to me. It reminded me very much of a succulent burger or a Swedish meatball sort of texture. Even though this burger provided lots of succulency, it did also contain some crunch which was a pleasant surprise. The mixture of the crunchy Pickles and onions ensured that this burger wasn't one dimensional unlike some of the other meat free burgers that I have tried before. 

When I took a bite of this burger, the first flavour profile that hit my tongue was the meaty and slightly smoky plant based patty. This particular patty was slightly subdue when it came to tasting of 'meat' and smoke but still packed a kick. The flavour of the burger patty itself wasn't too strong and allowed the other components of the burger sing in harmony with the patty. When this flavour died down on my tongue, the vegan sauce was the next to board the flavour train that was flourishing in my mouth. This particular sauce contained notes of sweet and sour due to containing a plethora of sauces and powders. Due to this combination of sauces, it meant that every bite that I took was a different tasting experience. Last but not least, the fresh vegetables and cheese jumped onto my palette. The mixture of fresh and sour vegetables mixed with the creamy and slightly sweet Vegan Cheese made for a concrete combination. I love sweet and salty or sweet and sour so the mix of creamy cheese and sour pickles is definitely one that I enjoyed. 

Would I buy this again? Definitely! For someone who is lactose intolerant, finding a fast food product that doesn't completely upset my stomach and tastes great is very rare. The taste of this burger is sensational and surprise surprise, I have enjoyed this burger a fair few times now and I have enjoyed it every time that I have tucked into it. I am definitely glad that times are changing and more establishments are catering to a plant based audience. 

Have you tried this burger? From what I know, this burger is at limited stores until the beginning of this month (January 1st) and will be rolled to all stores throughout early January so that everyone can enjoy it during Veganuary. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x 

Putting All The Plants To The Test | Vegan Fast Food Product Review

Hey everyone!

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