Can a veggie bacon sarnie ever taste as good as the real thing?
OnCe upon a time, meat substitutes bore so little resemblance to the real thing only the most devoted vegetarians could stomach them.
But as shoppers seek out lower calorie, healthier choices, mock meat has been given an upmarket makeover. So can a committed carnivore ever be convinced they taste as good as the real thing?
We asked chef Jamie Gibbs — one half of The Brisket Brothers UK, a foodie duo so passionate about slow- cooking meats that they demonstrate their skills at events across the country — to try the latest mock meat products alongside their meaty counterparts and decide which was the most mouthwatering.
The results surprised even him . . .
CLASSIC BACON BUTTIES
Tesco Bacon Style Rashers, £1.75, tesco.com, versus Ocado bacon, £2, ocado.com
ALICE SAYS: The ‘ bacon- style’ rashers come as eight pink and evenly- shaped teardrops of bacon-flavoured soya, and look rather like insoles for shoes. It’s hard to imagine anyone being fooled into thinking they’re the same as the oh- so-aromatic real bacon. I fried two rashers, one of each, and served them in identical sandwiches without telling Jamie which was which.
JAMIE SAYS: It’s clear which is which. I think it’s almost impossible to hide the texture — you can feel the distinct grain of the meat running through as you bite into the real version. I love bacon — it works at any meal. The soya version isn’t quite right. The bacon flavour is fantastic (a little bit like Frazzles crisps), but the texture’s slightly crumbly. WINNER: Meat
CONVINCING CURRY
Vegetarian Green Thai Curry with Soya Pieces, £3 v Green Thai Chicken Curry, £3.90, both waitrose.com ALICE SAYS: These are fragrant and microwaveable curries, each containing lumps of meat — or soya — in delicate sauce. The vegetarian version, which comes with rice, is part of Waitrose’s new range of mock meat ready meals which it claims are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. I put both meals into plain bowls and gave them to Jamie to sample. JAMIE SAYS: Initially I was totally fooled by the vegetarian version. The ‘ chicken’ has a near- exact meat texture. However, as I chewed, it gradually became clear this was the soya. Meat breaks down more in the mouth, and this retained its firm texture. The sauce is fantastic, with a rich, lemongrass flavour. I found the veggie version smoother.
WINNER: Vegetarian
BANG-ON BANGERS
Linda McCartney’s Outrageously Succulent Vegetarian Sausages, £2, ocado.com v prime butcher’s sausages. ALICE SAYS: The six vegetarian sausages look authentically meaty, despite being made from the foul- sounding rehydrated textured soya protein.
I make a sausage casserole by browning the sausages, sweating some onions with smoked paprika, adding tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and stock, then simmering for 20 minutes before adding cannellini beans. JAMIE SAYS: That is incredible. There is a mixture of textures and flavours going on with the casserole and the only difference between the Linda McCartney and the butcher’s version is the distinct meat flavour from the sausage. But the Linda McCartney sausages are also delicious on their own — and if you eat a pork sausage after a vegetarian sausage it tastes very fatty.
WINNER: Draw
PLAUSIBLE PORK
Vivera Smoky BBQ Pulled Veggie, £3.29, ocado.com v Sainsbury’s Slow Cook Pulled Pork Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork, £4 ALICE SAYS: Vivera have created a terrifyingly authentic pork-alike which smells of sweet barbecue sauce and looks hardly any different when put next to the pig product. Healthwise, it has the edge — fat free and a source of fibre. I dish both up in a bun.
JAMIE SAYS: On its own, the vegetarian version isn’t bad, but real pulled pork has a stringiness to it which is quite obvious to a meat lover. But once hidden in a brioche roll, packed with salad, I couldn’t tell the difference. The strongest flavour is the barbecue sauce, the tomato and the warmth of the protein. The meat is superior overall, though.
WINNER: Meat
HEAVENLY HOT DOGS
Quorn Frankfurters, £2 v Herta Frankfurters, £2, both from sainsburys.co.uk. ALICE SAYS:
The Quorn option is a packet of classic-looking frankfurters. Because there is something so incredibly processed feeling about a real frankfurter sausage, a hot dog made from fungus- derived mycoprotein (that’s what Quorn is) doesn’t seem as unpalatable. JAMIE SAYS: I guessed wrong when they were held in front of me — the vegetarian one looked more meaty. When I tasted it, I assumed it was meat, and only realised it wasn’t when I tried the meat one and felt the fat on the roof of my mouth. The vegetarian version is brilliant.
WINNER: Vegetarian
TOP-NOTCH KEBABS
Marks & Spencer Veggie Chunks, £2.20, and Linda McCartney Chorizo Sausages, £2, sainsburys.co.uk, v two free-range chicken breasts, £4.88, and Waitrose Gran Reserva Chorizo Ring, £2.50, both ocado.com ALICE SAYS: In raw form, the veggie chunks look like dry bits of chicken breast and are made from soya protein concentrate. They’re part of a new M&S range of meat substitutes which product developer Katie Squire says has ‘been scientifically developed to replicate meat in terms of taste, texture and smell’. I marinated the chicken versions in soy sauce, honey, garlic and vegetable oil for an hour, then threaded them on to wooden skewers with the chorizo to be grilled. JAMIE SAYS: The veggie chunks look exactly like shredded chicken and the texture is similar to the smooth, soft flesh of a thigh. Once marinated, it’s hard to tell the difference between this and the real chicken. The fake chorizo flavour doesn’t work though — there are pleasant smoky notes and a little heat. It’s a nice enough veggie sausage with a coarse texture.
WINNER: Meat