Posts in category 2. Product Reviews

Quorn Hot & Spicy Vegan Burger

Aug25
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Quorn Burger

I was so excited when Quorn announced a vegan burger, but this is the first time I have had a chance to try them

These are relatively small by normal burger standards. They can be cooked in the oven for 19 minutes, or pan fried for 10 minutes – I pan fried mine.

When cooked, they have a nice golden colour. They have a crisp exterior from the breadcrumbs and a fake chicken type interior texture and colour. There is a good amount of heat that builds over time.

Overall, whether you like these or not will depend if you like chicken-style burgers. If you do, and you like them with dollop of heat, then these are well worth a try.

Suitable for vegans. I got mine in Morrisons supermarket, freezer section.

www.quorn.co.uk

Tagged hot and spicy vegan burger, quorn vegan burger, vegetarian burger chicken style

Morrisons 4U Chocolate Coated Ice Lolly

Aug24
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Choc Ice Lolly

Thanks to my readers for telling me that Morrison’s do a version of a vegan ice cream lolly. Tesco do them too which I reviewed recently.

The ice cream is vanilla creamy non dairy ice cream with a chocolate coating which is lovely, it cracks when you bite into it. it does seem to go everywhere when you bite into it, but that is part of the fun. I really enjoyed them and they are pretty good value. £1.50 to £2 per pack.

Suitable for vegans. Sold in the freezer free from section, (not the ice cream section in my store) 240kcal per lolly

www.morrisons.co.uk

Tagged dairy free ice cream lolly, morrisons 4U Free from chocolate coated iced dessert, vegan choc ice, vegan ice cream lolly

Suma Vegan Beans & Sausages

Aug19
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Canned Beans and Sausages

I have hoped for a vegan version of beans and sausage in a tin for years. There is a veggie version but it has eggs in. Now we have a vegan version from Suma, finally.

The Lincolnshire style meat free sausages flavour reminds me of the vegetable ravioli in a can (i have not had that for years as I think it is veggie not vegan). The baked beans are what you would expect and the sausages are quite soft. Perfect for a quick meal.

This is not a great culinary delight, however it is a classic combination, a great product in my opinion. I think lots of people will keep these in the cupboard for those days when you want something comforting, tasty and easy. Perfect with toast.

I got mine as a sample from my local health food shop who very kindly saved me a tin, available from September 2016 from Suma stockists.

Suitable for vegans. Per 100grams is 120kcal.

www.suma.coop

Tagged baked beans and sausage vegan, suma baked beans with lincolnshire meat free sausages, suma beans and sausage review, vegan beans and sausage, vegan ready meal

Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh

Aug15
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Bacon

Paul tried these for me, here is what he said.

As someone who loves maple syrup (try a glug of it in a jar of sliced pickled gherkins – yum), I was looking forward to this.

That excitement disappeared during cooking – the smell was very off-putting. Let’s be kind and call it “ammonia”..

These are very narrow for rashers at just 11.5cm x 1cm, but they hold together and the texture is a mix of firm but crumbly.

If you’ve tried the vBites tempeh rashers, you’ll recognise the initial savoury hit, which is pleasant – but there remained a faint essence of “ammonia”.

Paul was not impressed with these, shame.

They are suitable for vegans. 100 grams is 115kcal Got ours in Holland & Barratt.

www.tofurky.com

Tagged tofurky maple bacon review, Vegan Bacon, vegan blt

Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs

Aug10
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Chickpea Puffs

I found these in Holland and Barratt. A vegan snack made from chickpeas.

They are like a “large wotsit” about 5cm long, and very crispy. They are quite dry and very puffed up. The 3 flavours :-

“In Herbs we Trust” has a strong, sweet oregano, rosemary and thyme flavour.

“Pepper Power” is the least complex flavour of the three, delivering on salt and pepper.

“Sweet & Smokin” has the familiar flavour of sweet smoked paprika.

The flavours were all quite salty and I found I had to have a drink of water with them. A different and interesting snack, but not something I would rush out for again. Quite expensive at £1.19 a pack.

Suitable for vegans and 91kcal per bag. gluten free and no trans fats.

www.hippeas.com

Tagged chickpea crisps, hippeas chickpea puffs review, vegan snack

Tesco Vegan Choc Sticks

Aug04
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Ice Cream Lolly

A pack of 3 dairy free chocolate coated ice cream lollies from Tesco free from range. tesco_chocsticks

The lolly is a good size quite big really. The chocolate coating is OK, it is dark chocolate over a vanilla ice cream. The flavour is a little bland, I would have liked more vanilla. But the lolly was pleasant enough as a vegan dessert.

I bought mine through the Tesco delivery service, however they are hard to find, you have to search for “Choc Sticks”. I paid £1.50 for a box of 3. Each lolly is 236kcal.

www.tesco.com

Tagged dairy free choc ice, tesco free from choc sticks vegan, vegan choc ice, vegan ice cream lolly, vegan magnum copy

Morrisons Free From Ice Cream Cones

Jul07
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Ice Cream Cornets

I found a strawberry/vanilla pack and a chocolate vanilla pack, not with the ice cream but in the special diets section of the freezer in Morrisons. (swedish glace is with the standard ice cream. so you have to send a search party to find them )

The strawberry one is OK, the cone was a bit soggy which is a common complaint with supermarket ice cream, I don’t think they store it too well. The flavour is pleasant strawberry with creamy vanilla, it was overall quite nice.

The Chocolate and vanilla flavour again was pleasant, nice and chocolaty offset with the creamy vanilla. The cone on this one was really crispy which was a nice surprise. I enjoyed this one more.

Each box of 4 cones is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Gluten Free. 236kcal per cone. Sold in Morrisons freezer section (but you have to hunt).

www.morrisons.co.uk

Tagged free from ice cream cones, morrisons non dairy ice cream cones, vegan dessert, Vegan Ice cream, vegan ice cream cones

Calon Lân Ale Chutney

Jun28
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Ale Chutney

Made in Wales in small batches an apple & tomato chutney with ale.

It is a nice looking chutney, defined cubes and a good brown colour. Good mix of sweetness and sharpness, and the ale does come through. Lots of onion, so this chutney cuts through other flavours. Ideal to liven up a sandwich or as a condiment. Tasty.

Suitable for vegans.

www.calonlanfood.co.uk

Tagged ale chutney vegan, apple tomato ale chutney, Calon Lân ale chutney, vegan chutney, vegan sandwich condiment

Mr Organic Soya Pasta Sauce

Jun28
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Pasta Sauce

This is a natural looking tomato sauce with the predominant flavours of tomato and pepper. The soya adds a bit more body to the sauce, but it’s more of a background flavour and texture. Overall a pleasant tomato pasta sauce. Ideal for a quick meal, sprinkle it with some vegan cheese to add more flavour.

Suitable for Vegans, gluten free, zero air miles. Organic. made in Italy. Per 100grams 64kcal. Got ours from Holland & Barratt.

www.mr-organic.com

mr_soya_ing

Tagged mr organic soya pasta sauce, vegan instant meal, vegan pasta dish, vegan pasta sauce

M&S Coconut Pot

Jun25
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Yoghurt Pot

A non dairy coconut plain yoghurt with yoghurt cultures from Marks and Spencer.

At £3 per pot, I thought it was not too bad, as coconut products are expensive. The yoghurt is quite thin compared to others I have tried but it is quite creamy and does not taste watery. I like that it has friendly bacteria.

The flavour is light coconut, not sweet which is pleasant. I like this with some cereals and fruit, you could stir in some agave or fruit sauce to make it sweeter.

Suitable for vegans, per 100grams is 136kcal.

www.marksandspencer.com

Tagged coconut yoghurt, M&S coconut pot vegan, vegan probiotic, vegan yoghurt

Swedish Glace Strawberry Lolly

Jun16
2016 Written by maggie

Strawberry Ice Cream Lolly

I am not sure why these lollies are not labelled suitable for vegans, as they appear to be suitable. Swedish Glace is a long term vegan brand, so it makes no sense to me.

The lollies are very small. The flavour of the strawberry ice cream is pleasant, the chocolate outer is nice. I enjoyed them, but felt a little bit let down. There are 5 lollies in the pack.

I got mine from Tesco.

Tagged dairy free ice cream lolly, swedish glace icecream lolly, vegan choc ice, vegan ice cream lolly

Ananda’s New Vegan Wagon Wheel Flavours

Jun14
2016 Written by maggie

Mint Wagon Wheel, Orange Wagon Wheel

I love love love the original Roundups (vegan wagon wheels) from Anandas. They have been busy in their kitchen, recently bringing gluten free options, and a lovely heart shaped one for Valentines day.

Now we have a Mint version and and Orange version. They look exactly the same, the only difference is that instead of a fruity jam in the original, we have a mint fondant centre and an orange fondant centre. The marshmallow and the chocolate sponge with drizzled vegan chocolate are the same.

Wow they taste great. I love mint chocolate so that one is my preference, however the orange is really great too. Good flavours that do not overpower the wagon wheel, but do make it taste completely different. Well done Ananda’s these are great products.

Personally I would like to see even more flavours, but I am greedy for great vegan treats, maybe coffee, salted caramel, mango could be the next ones, and maybe even a Christmas spiced one for December.

You must try these heavenly treats, all handmade by a little company who is making great vegan products and like all little vegan companies, they need our support.

I bought mine direct from Anandas, and delivery was quick. The items arrived in perfect condition, the moment the box was open I had the kettle on as these are perfect with a mug of your favourite hot drink.

www.anandafoods.co.uk

Tagged anandas orange mint roundups, anandas vegan marshmallows, dairy free wagon wheel, vegan dessert, vegan wagon wheels

Co-op Mediterranean Rolls & Antipasti Platter

Jun09
2016 Written by maggie

Co-op AntiPasti Platter & Mediterranean Rolls

Paul found these in the Co-op and made a mini meal out of it. Here is what he had to say

The Mediterranean Rolls are bright orange in colour – whether that’s appetising or not probably depends on personal taste, but it’s what drew me to buy them! These are packed with flavour – the most notable being tomato, paprika and oregano. The bread itself is a good balance between being light and being moist.

The Antipasti selection.

artichoke – quite spicy, good quality artichoke with no tough leaves.

corn – large crisp kernels. If you’ve had corn nuts before, you know what to expect from these – crisp,hollow, salty and fried tasting. A great with-beer snack.

olives – reasonably firm. Quite a sharp flavour, with a lemon note from the sumac in the za’atar. The other herbs are there but they’ve overshadowed by the strong flavour from the olive and sumac.

Suitable for Vegans. Sold in the Co-operative supermarket.

www.co-operativefood.co.uk

Tagged co-op antipast, vegan antipasti, vegan co-op, vegan mediterranean rolls

Flora Freedom Margarine Spread

Jun07
2016 Written by maggie

Vegan Margarine

Flora have recently launched this new spread, it is about time in my opinion.

I am a long term user of Vitalite which I really like. This spread is firmer, which might make it better for baking, it is a bit tasteless which is no bad thing. The colour is cream, unlike the yellowish vitalite. Honestly I thought it was OK. I bought it on offer for £1 to try, usual price is £2. However Vitalite which I prefer is usually around £1 in most supermarkets, so I will not be changing over.

Hopefully they will put this margarine into their portion packs, as I am fed up of being offered flora vegetarian margarine (which is not vegan), when you eat away from home.

Vegan Society Approved. I got mine in the Co-op supermarket.

www.flora.com

Tagged flora freedom review, flora freedom vegan margarine, vegan butter, vegan margarine

Vego Nougat Pralines

Jun06
2016 Written by maggie

Vegolino

Pieces of vegan praline from Vego. I do like the Vego bars that have been available for some time now, however they are very rich so only a little is enough. These treats are pretty much the same, but in little pieces. These individual pieces are just enough for a treat. I like to have one with a mug of tea or coffee.

The chocolate praline is rich, creamy and sweet. I got mine in a local health food shop.

Suitable for Vegans.

www.vego-chocolate.com

Tagged vegan praline chocolate, vego chocolate, vegolino