Of course, it’s all a matter of taste but here is a list of my favourite plant based foods that might help people – especially those just embarking on a plant based diet.
I’ve spent an age and a fortune buying new products that made it to the bin instead of the fridge. Let us know what your favourite staples are and we’ll add them to the blog (after taste testing of course….its a hard life!)
SOYA MINCE
Many frozen mince products contain egg and I’ve tried all the non egg varieties in anticipation that I find one as good as Quorn (which is a no no as it does contain egg). The best supermarket own brand for me is Morrison’s. “The Meat Alternative” available in Waitrose is also good.
BURGERS
I love to make my own soya burgers but the Linda mccartneys ¼ Pounders are amazing. They are SOYA based and really tasty.
TOFU
The best tofu has to be basil tofu by taifun. I’ve tried squeezing the hell out of unpressed tofu and even spent an entire day making different marinades but they just didn’t cut the mustard. This one is so easy – slice, gently fry in rapeseed oil or eat cold from the fridge. I have it with everything – breakfast, part of a salad, in a stirfry and as a side line to a main dish.
FACON
I love the Cheatin Rashers that are amazingly fab on a BLT (see mayo below!)
MILK
How many plant based milks are on the shelves these days? It’s a bit daunting to say the least and I’ve tried them all and have different uses for different milks. Oatly Barista Edition is my top choice for pretty much everything – sauces, tea and coffee, cereal. For smoothies I like coconut milk and almond milk for sweet desserts (almond milk pancakes are lush!
SAUSAGES
Again, I am a Linda McCartney fan with sausages too and have them grilled or baked (they can be quite fatty so this cooking method gets rid of most of it. If I’m doing a casserole I like the frys ones too.
YOGHURT
I’ve only recently discovered Alpro Simply Plain and made an amazing Tzatziki recipe with it. I’ve never been a big yoghurt eater, even when I was a vegetarian but tzatziki is something I really missed. You could happily dollop a load of this on some fresh fruit for a fab breakfast and my boys like it with granola and fruit.
PIES
The Fry’s pie range is really good but my favourite are Linda’s Country Pies.
SALAD CREAM
Amazing for making coleslaw and to dollop on a salad sandwich, the tesco free from salad cream is so good you would never guess it was vegan.
SPREAD
‘Pure’ Soya Spread is widely available and the best in my view. It has a creamy taste but not so creamy that it tastes like butter (the Flora one is too buttery for me) and others don’t melt as well as the Pure one.
MAYO
Like Yoghurt, I’ve never been a big mayo fan either but I can’t have a BLT or Potato salad without it! I’ve tried a few and most have a very artificial taste that I just can’t stand. However, The Geo Organic Mayo is great and the chilli version is good on a burger too!
CHOCOLATE
Well, where do we begin, I could write a whole article about dairy free chocolate. To get straight to the point, my absolute favourite is the hazelnut Booja Booja. Its creamy and luxurious and flaming lovely. Vego is also great and both taste like milk chocolate. There are loads of dark and raw chocolate brands too which are great – the raw chocolate co have a fab range and all of these are available in our Shop.
SWEETS
From love hearts, jelly tots and skittles to high end organic sweets made without gelatine, there is a fantastic choice on the market. I would probably opt for a sherbet lemon or sour strawberry lace (check as some brands have shellec in them which is not vegan)
CRISPS
Crisps are my ultimate guilty pleasure and I have to hold myself back from having 5 packs a day! There are the obviously vegan flavours out there and some surprising ones too – Asdas onion rings are vegan (most others contain milk) as are most bacon rasher type crisps. If you want something truly delicious and a touch healthier, the “eat real” range in our Shop are all fab, particularly the jalapeño cheese quinoa and kale puffs – like cheesy wotsits but nicer!
ALCHOHOL
Have a look at our blog on supermarket vegan lists for wine, beer and spirits that are vegan friendly. This is a tough one as many wines are not labelled vegan and many contain isinglass and some even milk and egg! www.banivore.com is an amazing resource that you can check on the go and is particularly useful when eating out. I love both the red and white “cambalala” from Aldi. Its really nice and only £3.89 a bottle!
CHEESE
None! For me it’s all pretty disgusting. Some people disagree but I can’t recommend any of the pre packed vegan cheeses with any authority or confidence. I use nutritional yeast to sprinkle on pasta and that does the trick for me. I also add it to white sauce to make a cheese sauce. Sainsburys now do a good range but its just not for me. There are some great recipes online too for cheese sauces using nuts as a base.
Please share your favourite staples. In the 18 months I have been vegan, there has been a massive increase in options and this is only set to get better so would love to hear your experiences of new products and old favourites.
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